Comments on: Artists Who Slice Up Books

Artists Who Slice Up Books

jonson — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 23:58:00 -0800

Su Blackwell, Thomas Allen & Abelardo Morell are artists who cut up books and then photograph the interesting, whimsical & gorgeous results.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:30:06 -0800

This is absolutely some of the most gorgeous art I've seen in ages. Thanks for this stuff, jonson. (I linked Morell here a couple of months ago, btw.)

By: jonson

jonson — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:31:27 -0800

hah! I searched for Allen & Blackwell but not Morell. In fact, it was in the search results of an old AskMe that I found Morell. That'll teach me...

By: bunglin jones

bunglin jones — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 01:17:41 -0800

The David and Goliath one is just BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for posting this.

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 04:31:39 -0800

Those are fantastic. Reminds me of an artist who's work I saw in Seoul, who makes amazing 3D sculptures out of single letter-sized sheets of white paper.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 05:04:26 -0800

I've been waiting for this post ever since your related AskMe, jonson. thank you!

By: matteo

matteo — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:21:41 -0800

Thomas J. Allen "photographs books, but does so in a way that's never been done before—by selectively cutting out the figures on their covers and interior pages with surgical precision and setting them up in compositions, bringing them into the third dimension. It's as if the characters have suddenly woken up, that what's happening to them is so intense and vivid it can't be contained" -- Chip Kidd

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:30:07 -0800

For Thomas Allen's stuff, is the artwork intended to be the sculpture, or the photograph? Because some of those images are so perfect, I imagine that seeing the work in the round might be something of a letdown.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:30:39 -0800

And matteo had already answered my question. Never mind.

By: ClarissaWAM

ClarissaWAM — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:30:43 -0800

Wow. I was looking at Su Blackwell again just yesterday. Hadn't heard of Morell yet. Thanks jonson!

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 07:07:07 -0800

Wow! "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"? - yesss! "Joy of Sex" - Noooooooo!

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 07:39:22 -0800

Excellent.

By: JBennett

JBennett — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 08:01:06 -0800

The current issue of Zoetrope magazine is entirely illustrated by many of Allen's photos. The issue was designed by Chip Kidd.

By: jonson

jonson — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 09:11:03 -0800

Thanks, JBennett!

By: Bureau of Public Secrets

Bureau of Public Secrets — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 09:33:16 -0800

In somewhat the same vein, check out Barbara Szerlip's gorgeous "book sculptures".

By: mijuta

mijuta — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:43:17 -0800

Absolutely stunning art. I was aware of Thomas Allen's work and have the current issue of Zoetrope with all of his work, but didn't know about the other two artists. Thanks so much for posting this.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 12:40:08 -0800

I'm torn. I do admit the Blackwell stuff is pretty, yes. But as a book-o-phile (will others agree?) cutting up books for any reason, even art, is a bit sacrilege. That is, its beautiful in the way taxidermy is beautiful - you have to forget that its a corpse.

By: dhruva

dhruva — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 15:32:16 -0800

cutting up books for any reason, even art, is a bit sacrilege It's even worse for me. As a Hindu, I was brought up with the notion that paper is sacred (we have a goddess of learning and knowledge (ie Saraswati) And ont he festical day for Saraswati, we actually perform prayers to books), and even now if I accidentally step on the newspaper, I cringe. But this stuff is beautiful...hmm.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:00:29 -0800

But as a book-o-phile (will others agree?) cutting up books for any reason, even art, is a bit sacrilege. Well, as a book-o-phile *and* a bookseller who sees books in all kinds of awful states, I don't share your particular sense of the pristine sacred. Books are beautiful sacred objects, yes, but sometimes they're beautiful sacred objects that are made even more beautiful by being turned into something else just as beautiful and sacred: Art. Let go of the "books must only be enjoyed in their original state" mindset and you open yourself up to all sorts of wonderful collages, revisings and openings of the notion of bookness.

By: sergeant sandwich

sergeant sandwich — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:25:46 -0800