Su Blackwell
I have such a complicated relationship with altered books. As the daughter of a teacher and the granddaughter of a librarian, I grew up with a respect for books that bordered on reverence. Seeing them damaged or rendered unuseable is really upsetting. Altered books make me uncomfortable, and poorly-done ones are actually repugnant to me.
But then I realized that if someone were to replace my library with all brand-new books, I would be very sad. The wear on my books - as physical objects - holds their history and makes my relationship with their contents immediate and visceral. Many of my childhood books have bite marks on the spine, because I would hold them in my teeth while climbing up to read in a tree or on the roof. The books I carry when I travel get stained and frayed, and the damage tells a story. And I love secondhand books that have been marked up in pencil, because I can see what was important to the person who read it before me.
Su Blackwell's book-cut sculpture is beautifully crafted. In a way, it's very similar to receiving a marked-up copy of a book from a friend. Their particular interpretation of the text is privileged for your consideration, and you can re-evaluate your response to the work through the lens of their relationship.
It's like turning books into memories, I guess. I think Blackwell's work is stunning, and the little frisson of revulsion I feel at the sight of a damaged book makes it all the more interesting.
But then I realized that if someone were to replace my library with all brand-new books, I would be very sad. The wear on my books - as physical objects - holds their history and makes my relationship with their contents immediate and visceral. Many of my childhood books have bite marks on the spine, because I would hold them in my teeth while climbing up to read in a tree or on the roof. The books I carry when I travel get stained and frayed, and the damage tells a story. And I love secondhand books that have been marked up in pencil, because I can see what was important to the person who read it before me.
Su Blackwell's book-cut sculpture is beautifully crafted. In a way, it's very similar to receiving a marked-up copy of a book from a friend. Their particular interpretation of the text is privileged for your consideration, and you can re-evaluate your response to the work through the lens of their relationship.
It's like turning books into memories, I guess. I think Blackwell's work is stunning, and the little frisson of revulsion I feel at the sight of a damaged book makes it all the more interesting.
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