The exchange of our third book in the collaboration with Fiona Dempster, see here, has been simpler than the other books , as Fiona is currently in Scotland and we took this opportunity to post to each other.
My book is called
“The Shape of Pamphlet Stitch”
I have felt that it is important to retain my style and integrity of inspiration during this collaboration. I have long worked with fragments of antique textiles and explored the tales that they have to tell. Much of the shaping of antique dress lies in the folding and stitching down of the fabric, perfect for concertina books!
Melding the sandy colours from Fiona and the indigo hues of my own I thought would be a problem for me.
I left them scattered on my desk for a few days and gradually it all came together, the shades of my new antique Indian shawl and the blue skies outside the window, all came together to lead me forward. I gathered together suitable silk threads and I was inspired!
I folded Indian Cotton rag paper into seven sections, thus giving a central page. I embossed a recess into each page and then constructed, by layering several fine paper fragments, a small ‘book’, each secured by a Pamphlet Stitch binding. Several of the papers from Fiona had text on them, so I was meeting the brief, I am no Calligrapher!
The book is 42 x 10cm, Indian Cotton Rag paper, silk threads and miscellaneous hand painted papers.
Fiona’s book is a beautiful example of fragility concerning ideas that we can’t quite get a grip of. She will write about it in her blog.
As to other book and art work, well there has been a suspension, the weather has been good and Spring has arrived so I have been spending all my spare time in the garden, it has been lovely to be outside after a long and dismal winter.
Annwyn Dean 