Looking forward, looking backward

Thank you to all who came out for Artisan Holiday; it was wonderful to see you and, with the other artists in attendance, share the cheer (and latest chiyogami-covered goodness). Today I was actually at a loss as to what to do with myself, but of course I still have a couple of deadlines to meet.

It was so satisfying coming up with the final form for the family history project; this winter I'll plug away on the edition. Here's a walk-through:

A book can be chock-full of literary and visual surprises, but without a proper cover it looks so plain. Still, I love the utilitarian face of bare bookboard and judging from some recent publications (say, Barbara Tetenbaum's Half-Life, and ReadyMade magazine's shelf-worthy debut), it's becoming fashionable.



The text, laid out in InDesign, was interspersed with tributes from individuals, breaking up the long gray paragraphs and adding many different voices to the story.

Two soft CD pockets are sewn in on either side of the text, each capable of holding two CDs, which contain oral history, pictures, writings, and sound samples.

A gatefold in the center shows six photographs representative of three stages in the subjects' lives.

A finished product, with letterpress-printed title

50 copies to go!