The book I chose to transform for the altered book project was a children’s book titled If by Sarah Perry. I selected this book after my mom reminded me this was one of my favorite books to read when I was younger. She told me she would read it to me until I was able to begin reading myself. I can only image some of the reasons this was one of my favorite books. One reason for this was most likely my intense feelings of curiosity and my naturally inquisitive mind. This book is full of strange comparisons, unusual juxtapositions, and imagery that brings together opposing ideas. For example, my favorite line in the book reads, “If butterflies were clothes.” Of course, this would never occur in real life, however, childrens’ imaginations often run wild and this book brings some of these visions to life.
Before I began altering this book, I thought about what it meant to me as a child and how I could transform that into a physical object. I began by constructing a ‘thought bubble’ out of one of the pages from the book. I then decided to cut, paste, and collage some of the crazy visuals, as if I were creating a thought bubble of the child reading this story. I then reassembled some of the words throughout the book to read “Hummingbirds dream in beautiful space.” I constructed this phrase after remembering how my mom and I use to read this book together. This phrase simply reminds me of her so I thought it would be a nice addition to my finalized altered book project. Finally, I cut a section of the front cover, leaving the title “If…” to signify the endless possibilities of childhood imagination. I proceeded by gluing this to the bottom of the thought bubble to use as something to hold.
Throughout this altered book project I learned about creative means of utilizing various art activities. I quickly realized that it would take me some time to think of the final project I wanted to create. I then became aware that I would need to make a plan before jumping into the project. I was however, constricted of utilizing many of the art activities due to the subject and length of the book. I also thought I would be important to construct a final product that was simple yet meaningful.
After examining the selected readings, there were several details that became evident and sparked my attention. One interesting thought entails the conception of paper and how it began to transform the printing “industry” in the early 19th century. This is something often overlooked throughout daily life in the 21st century, so it was engaging to take a step back and begin to understand a product we often take for granted. With the first appearance of paper in the 14th century, Arabs were known to transport the material from China to Europe. The once rag base material used to produce paper was one of the many improvements that allowed for a cheaper alternative when the demand for paper increased. As a way to replace parchment, this was in innovative means of producing this desired commodity (Febvre 29-31).
A second interesting detail I learned from the reading included Hunter’s descriptions of seven substances once used for preserving written words throughout history. These substances included stone, brick, brass, copper, bronze, lead, and wood. Stone was one of the first materials used to inscribe hieroglyphs as a means of transferring information from one generation to the next. Bricks were similarly utilized by stamping letters onto clay blocks, before baking them into hard bricks. Brass, copper, bronze, and lead were also used to record treaties, laws, and other writings. Often times, soldiers would use the back of their metal buckles to engrave their final words. Finally, wood was utilized around the 9th century B.C. by coating the top of the wood with wax. People would then begin engraving words and letters into the wax with some sort of stylus. This material allowed for words to be erased, simply by recoating the wooden slab. Wooden slabs could also be formed to create a book, referred to as a codex (Hunter 7-11).
Nicole, it was cool that you were able to talk to your mom about what book to bring to class. She probably knows you the best, especially as a little kid and knew the exact book you needed. It was awesome to also incorporate your mom into the creative side of altering the book, using a quote that you can remember her reading to you. As this book means a lot to you, it was very smart to have a final project that look as good as it does, something you can keep forever, and it will always remind you of your childhood. My project was more about being destructive with my book and having fun with most of the art supplies. Yes paper that was made with rags was easier to make and an all-around easier process. But it came to the point that rags were so valuable for paper, paper makers got their hands on as many rags as they could, ultimately leading to a shortage of rags. Leading to the idea of using other resources to make paper. The seven substances used for writing, were alright for the time being, but it took a while to engrave and make copies, especially in stone. That’s where the need of paper came in, someone was smart enough to think of a way to have a material be both light and sturdy enough, to be written on, transported, and eventually copied.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how Nicole transformed her book into a thought bubble. I do think it was very appropriate considering the main audience of the book, children. As a child, all I used was my imagination. Whether I was playing a game filled with magic and wonder outside with my friends, or playing Barbie games with my cousins, I always had to open my mind to the endless possibilities of fun and amazement. I think this concept is unfortunately lost on younger generations who sit on the couch with their iPads instead of play outside in the warm, green grass. By bringing back this book and altering it to something creative, imagination is brought into play again and helped turn something good into something great. I too thought it was interesting all of the different mediums that people used before paper was invented. It really highlighted the importance people place on language and drawings because no matter what object, they had to get their ideas and thoughts onto something. Wood, as Nicole stated, was most interesting in the fact that whatever was placed on it was allowed to be “erased” by simply re-coating it with another layer of wax. Obviously, metal, stone, and brass were a little more complicated to re-write so it was fascinating that people were wanting to “edit” what they wrote down.
ReplyDeleteNicole chose a book that represented her past time and I think that she did a great job of taking a book that once was and turning it into something completely new. The thought bubble brings together the most important parts of the book and her favorite quote from the story ties together her and her mother’s connection. Before jumping into the project, Nicole looked at all of her options and took her time deciding what would make this project the most meaningful for her. I think you were able to still capture the most important part of your book and the most memorable part of your childhood. I liked how you were able to take the book and make it more of a bookmark rather than a book itself. It’s a nice twist onto the project and you did a good job thinking outside of the box. As far as the readings went, I agree that it is interesting to think of how many different materials were used to document important information, starting with stone, brick, brass and copper. The need for paper was evident long before it even came to be. It is interesting to see how through trial and error something can be created that will have a lasting impression for centuries to come.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I like how you picked a book that was special to you as a child. Just by the phrase you wrote, “If butterflies were clothes”, it seems like this book would take a child’s imagination to a wild place. I loved your use of creativity in this assignment. I liked the idea of a thought bubble with images placed inside of it. You definitely created something that was simple yet meaningful. I liked how you made this book to remind you of your mom. Your design involved in making this book is out of the box. The piece you cut out from the cover of the original book looks like the ‘I” in the word if. I do not think I would be able to create something like this. Instead of making something so creative and memorable out of a few words, I tried to utilize as many art actions as I could. I would definitely say that paper is a substance that we take for granted today. It must have taken a long time to engrave and stamp much harder services. I found it interesting that paper sparked the creation of other items such as the camel hair brush. I am still amazed at how the paper industry was able to grow from country to country and how several different ways to make paper were developed. When you think about it, businesses today take advantage of technology to spread the world about a new product or service. In this instance, it is interesting to see that something like paper became so widely accepted throughout multiple different countries and cultures without the use of technology.
ReplyDeleteNicole, you did a great job with your alterations. Your final result doesn’t even look like a book anymore which is so interesting and not something that I’ve seen in other people’s projects. You really thought outside of the box and it came out great. I like that you thought about what the book really meant to you before beginning and acting upon those ideas. Your creativity and different use of the materials reflects the way that papermaking developed over time. I think people hundreds of years ago were very creative in developing and perfecting the papermaking process. As was noted in all of the readings, paper was made out of whatever materials people could find and the variety is impressive. Today there might not be as wide of a variety, but through history the materials seemed endless. You noted on many of those materials in your writing as an interesting detail from the readings and I felt the same. I liked the way that you discussed the seven substances that were utilized for writing prior to the creation of paper as we know it today. The way that people would engrave on each different substance must have been extremely difficult and thus led to the development of a material that made this easier. However it is so strange to think that people would collect their thoughts on materials like this where today we can grab a sheet of paper so easily and write something down quickly. The way writing materials have transformed over time is really incredible.
ReplyDeleteI like how Nicole went in to the assignment intending to end up with a final product that was both meaningful and simple. The fact that she decided to make a plan before completing her altered book project is different from many others in our class, myself included. For me, the process of deciding what to do as I went along was half the fun, but I can totally understand wanting to go into something with a plan in mind. That is how most classes in college work, involving the development of a plan before completing the work that needs to be done. Applying that concept to the creative process of altering a book is interesting since there were no hard and fast guidelines for this assignment, and shows how different people approach a task in different ways. Her description of the substances used to preserve words throughout history, including stone, bronze, wood, and brick, among others, was also a part of the reading that I found compelling. Nicole also mentions the transport of paper from China to Europe by Arabs, which other students also discussed in their reflections. The demand for paper is another thing that never really occurred to me, along with the fact that it was extremely innovative in its early days.
ReplyDeleteNicole (or Nicole’s mom) chose the perfect book for this project. Working with a children’s book myself, I reflected heavily on children and their creative processes. Just as Nicole said, children have very imaginative minds in which reason and logic rarely exist. After reading many blogs and comments, I know that a lot of students had a hard time damaging their books because we have been told that it is something we just do not do. It would be interesting, then, to see how children reacted to this assignment. Being much more open minded to seemingly “radical” ideas, I could only imagine what they might come up with if given the task. Nicole’s final product highlights her own creative process too. I really like the fact that she transformed her book into something completely different: a thought bubble. It’s also nice that she could find a quote that reminds her so much of her mom to incorporate into her project. This shows that Nicole not only learned a lot from this book as a child, but also that she continues to learn from it today.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I saw when I opened to Nicole’s reflection was the picture of her book. My first thoughts before I even started reading were, wow the way she altered her cover it very detailed and creative! I then learned that this picture was a page from her book that she constructed to be a thought bubble filled with visuals as if she was a child again reading the book. I thought this was so cool and such a fantastic idea! I really like how Nicole connected this book to her past and childhood how her alterations represented that. Nicole also took the time to recognize the past history of paper and how it has transformed the printing industry. I too like Nicole found it engaging to take a step back and read about this the transformation of paper and how it’s developed. I agree with Nicole when she says that we tend to take this product for granted.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the picture of her altered book I was shocked at how different it was and wasn't too sure what was going on. After reading her blog, I really appreciated how Nicole decided to go about altering her book. She began really thinking why she liked it as a child, and re-reading it to become inspired. You can really see how she created the words of this book into a visual for others. She captured what the book was to her and was able to show it in a completely new way. I agree that after completing my first book that I would have to take more time to plan my next ones as well. I want to utilize all the new techniques we will learn to create something really great. I also found it interesting learning all of the different surfaces that people used to write on. The history of paper is something I never looked into until this class and didn't realize how much it would entail, and it makes me appreciate it more.
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