"Left, a story of a journey'".

The Book, an object of Art.

Bookbinding has existed since Egyptians stored their papyrus rolls in tubular binding. Presently, due to our digital age, it is argued that the printed book might be losing value therefore handmade quality books are being perceived more and more as objects of art. In order to satisfy an increasing demand, a number of book publishers such as The Folio Society and Faber and Faber, incorporate in their publications collections of high quality deluxe handmade books.

It is this interest for the book as object that motivates the investigation into handmade bookbinding as a means of presentation. Learning how to make books provides an insight into the materials and offers an empirical understanding and knowledge of its elements, construction, and three dimensional form.

This book was my final project during my MA Design Practice at Glyndwr University. The book represents a story narrated from the point of view of two characters. Consequently, the idea was to create a book that could be read from both ends and mirror the storyline in physical form. Commonly used for 19th century religious texts, this technique called dos-à-dos (or head to tail) is a binding procedure that sees two books back to back which open in different directions. This layout represents a metaphor within itself which might not be perceived at first glance. However, by inviting the reader to decipher this symbolic enigma, it triggers a more intense reading of the images.

MA Dissertation 2017 | Hand-stitched section sewn.