Chromatic Interactions III

Chromatic Interactions III

“CHAPTERS: Book Arts in Southern California” presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in LA.

I was commissioned to create an interactive book.

I created “Chromatic Interactions”

Chromatic Interactions is a flag book is comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and flag pages which are pockets with windows cut out of them to reveal both front and back of the cards that visitor participants wrote and drew on, then inserted into the pockets.

 The front and back covers had windows cut out of them that correlated with the windows cut out of the flag pocket pages.

People’s responses, offerings, additions and interactions surprised me…they really did pause and participate.

This is one of my favorites.

May we all have…Joy…in the morning, in the night…all the time.

As Much As Possible.

JOY

Chromatic Interactions II

Chromatic Interactions II

“CHAPTERS: Book Arts in Southern California” presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in LA.

I was commissioned to create an interactive book.

I created “Chromatic Interactions”

Chromatic Interactions is a flag book is comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and flag pages which are pockets with windows cut out of them to reveal both front and back of the cards that visitor participants wrote and drew on, then inserted into the pockets.

It was eye-opening to see how people responded, what they wrote and drew, and how the book transformed over time.

I am exploring this phenom through a series of posts, now that the show is over. The CAFAM was kind enough to save and give to me many of the file cards added to the book by the participants who interacted with the piece…keeping it in a continual state of transformation.

The front and back covers had windows cut out of them that correlated with the windows cut out of the flag pocket pages.

Someone had to remove the cards so that new ones could be inserted. I am still not sure if this was the Museum staff, or the patron participants themselves. Here is some of what they wrote….

“STRIKE while the iron is hot”

“Speak Out

Stay Calm

Carry On”

“How can we stop the political train wreck?”

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. *activism….”

“people say don’t hate anything except for hatred”

This one “speaks” for itself.

Actually, they all do.

People

Speak

Out

Chromatic Interactions I

Chromatic Interactions I

“CHAPTERS: Book Arts in Southern California” presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in LA.

I was commissioned to create an interactive book.

I created “Chromatic Interactions”

It was eye-opening for me to see what people wrote and drew, and how the piece changed over time.

I will be exploring this through a series of posts, now that the show is over, and CAFAM was kind enough to save and give to me many of the file cards added to the book by patrons/visitors/participants…interacting.

Flag book. Stitched flag pockets with windows cut into them.

Accordion spine.

A focus on file folders.

Flag pocket and cover windows align, allowing messages to show through, and creating a tunnel effect.

Color, line, word, image, added by the viewer, become participatory art making and collaborator.

Book board.

Found file folders crumpled to create surface texture.

Haptic.

Here is some of what Museum visitor participants wrote…

TIME

“…all slow…”

After the US election.

Did they mean “irrelevant” No???

“There once was…”

Packing it in.

Successful life…validation

“Beautiful

I’m blinded by the light.”

“Mosaic” flower

Wilder tale

E X T R A P O L A T E

So glad, Inez!

Full…

And fuller.

More

To

Come

CHAPTERS 8: SoCal Book Arts Explored V

CHAPTERS 8: SoCal Book Arts Explored V

Final thoughts…for now…

The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” curated by Holly Jerger through May 7, 2017.

“Chapters explores the significance of Southern California artists in establishing the field of book arts from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition highlights over 60 artists, presses, and organizations who explore ideas related to conceptualism, feminism, process, and community building through artists’ books, sculptural forms, small editions, and zines. “–CAFAM

Artists’ Books pack the proverbial punch…I did not get photos of the labels for these…but their power is made manifest through their forms. Visit the show to see them up close (well, closer-) and personal.  They are, both personal, and universal.

You can still catch the show for another almost week.

Check it out!

In the next few posts I will explore  and share my interactive book, “Chromatic Interactions” commissioned for the show and its viewers become participants. An interesting perspective.

Let’s hear it for Free Speech.

CHAPTERS 7: SoCal Book Arts Explored IV

CHAPTERS 7: SoCal Book Arts Explored IV

The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” curated by Holly Jerger through May 7, 2017.

“Chapters explores the significance of Southern California artists in establishing the field of book arts from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition highlights over 60 artists, presses, and organizations who explore ideas related to conceptualism, feminism, process, and community building through artists’ books, sculptural forms, small editions, and zines. “–CAFAM

Here are some of the book works shown….some provocative, fun and unusual bindings, structures and forms.

Charlene Matthews‘ James Joyce “Ulysses” pole piece. hand lettered.

Concentric cutouts…

The seeming simplicity of these ties…

Flag and accordion structures…looks like the addition of single signature as well onto the accordion.

Wallace Berman…Semina Culture.

C.K. Wilde…cut-outs…

Nancy Jo Haselbacher…words on words…

 Turkish Map Fold…Nick Herman

The wondrous Kitty Maryatt…this wild, bridge-like structure…

All this an more at the Craft and Folk Art Museum‘s CHAPTERS exhibition…through May 7, 2017!  Don’t Miss It!

CHAPTERS 6: SoCal Book Arts Explored III

CHAPTERS 6: SoCal Book Arts Explored III

The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” curated by Holly Jerger through May 7, 2017.

“Chapters explores the significance of Southern California artists in establishing the field of book arts from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition highlights over 60 artists, presses, and organizations who explore ideas related to conceptualism, feminism, process, and community building through artists’ books, sculptural forms, small editions, and zines. “–CAFAM

Here are some of the book works shown….speaking for themselves.

You can visit the show through May 7, 2017, and continue through the chapters of CHAPTERS.

CHAPTERS 5: SoCal Book Arts Explored II

CHAPTERS 5: SoCal Book Arts Explored II

The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” curated by Holly Jerger through May 7, 2017.

“Chapters explores the significance of Southern California artists in establishing the field of book arts from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition highlights over 60 artists, presses, and organizations who explore ideas related to conceptualism, feminism, process, and community building through artists’ books, sculptural forms, small editions, and zines. “–CAFAM

Here are some of the book works shown….

The amazing Wallace Berman…photographer and assemblage artist. We lost him too soon…

The work of contemporary book artist  Machelle Choi from Otis Collage of Art and Design. I love the use of frames…and string.

More to come…as we continue through the chapters of CHAPTERS.

CHAPTERS 4: SoCal Book Arts Explored

CHAPTERS 4: SoCal Book Arts Explored

The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” through May 7, 2017.

“Chapters explores the significance of Southern California artists in establishing the field of book arts from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition highlights over 60 artists, presses, and organizations who explore ideas related to conceptualism, feminism, process, and community building through artists’ books, sculptural forms, small editions, and zines. “–CAFAM

Here are some of the book works shown….

” ARCH” honors women architects….

Museum member walk-through…curator Holly Jerger absorbs an artist’s narrative about her book.

The wondrous works of Howard Marshall…who infuses music and his heritage deftly into his books.His line drawing shows expertise, exactitude and expressiveness.

The richly textured works of AfroPuff’s Adah Glenn are beautiful and highly tactile. Her use of textured papers brings us directly into a sense of the haptic.

Machelle Choi shares about her book created at the Otis College of Art and Design. She graduated in 2016, and shows a moving book about bridging the gap with her parents, which includes an interesting use of frames.

More to come…as we continue through the chapters of CHAPTERS.

CHAPTERS 3: “We Write the Book”

CHAPTERS 3: “We Write the Book”

The wonderful Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view the exhibition, “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” through May 7, 2017.

I had the opportunity of creating an interactive book for the show, one that potentially 8000 viewers/participants could become co-creators of by adding and subtracting color, pattern, graphics and text as they so chose.

Cards and pencils nearby encourage patrons to become participants.

“Windows” are uniform, to allow messages to show/shine through.

Some wrote stories, employing the ancient “There Once Was…”

Some, one word.

Some expressed philosophy…

Others,  directives.

Some messages came together to create new meanings and  inadvertent poetry.

Some seemed to write a journal entry,

Some declared their vision.

Some drew,

Some shared experiences.

Some got creative with the grid,

 ALL created with the form.

The form of the book is a window to infinite possibilities. You can see many of them in the show.   On view through May 7, 2017.  

CHAPTERS 2: Opening at CAFAM!

CHAPTERS 2: Opening at CAFAM!

The wonderful Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” through May 7, 2017.

Kitty Maryatt

John Baldassari

I need to investigate this further…

Exciting take on accordion fold structure…

Allen Ruppersberg

Must get back to CAFAM...and take another look!