Artist's books take countless forms, their expressive qualities as limitless as the materials that can be considered for use. As to size and shape, artist's books are limited only by the size and shape of the room in which they are to be viewed.

The annual exhibition of works by Cooper Union's Art of the Book students opened last night in the 2nd floor lobby of the Foundation Building. Works by 16 artists explored the book as a container for information; the book as a vehicle for experimentation; the book as raw material for sculpture; the book as a site of self-discovery. And more.

Among the many absorbing, enchanting and otherwise beguiling projects were several that caught my eye for being composed entirely in shades of white, in vastly different materials. As a "color", white is highly unforgiving of imperfection, both metaphorically and in fact. With a white object, there is nowhere to hide. What also became evident here is that as a "color", white can reveal perfection in thought and execution. 

Sam Ritchie, an artist whose biology work involve cross section studies, considered the pages of a book as slices. She wrote, "By slicing a block of wax, I was able to show the interior cross sections of a stick contained within it as well as illustrate and distort the movement of its form [above]. I am interested in how an object is disorganized through attempts made to preserve and display it. Also the subtle nature of the wax as a material invites the reader to handle it,..." 

Brianna Leatherbury explored the means and meanings of books through an old-fashioned children's toy. She wrote, "The book has a clear and linear history, traceable through time in its various forms, contents, and structures. This book  [above] embodies the fundamental qualities of bookbinding: from the simple fold, to the accordion, to the scroll. It uses no glue, staying infinite, and admits its construction through the transparency of its paper. As its form is now its content, handling this book is reading its content, and its Jacob's ladder structure allows alternation, movement, and activation." 

Morgan Roslyn created a book of the 613 Mitzvot [commandments] [above] from the Old Testament to reflect the mystery they carry for the Jewish people. She wrote, "Every page has one of the 613 commandments on it and is laser cut to appear like a book from the top view. The book is bound in a way that suggests a conventional book when sitting flat, but which opens upward to represent how following the Mitzvot helps one grow towards God. The Book appears pure and white from the top view because God sees us all as pure no matter what. The commandments can only be seen from the bottom view and are impossible to fully read because it is impossible to achieve this false sense of perfection."

There is much to engage the senses in this show, with works made of handmade paper, photographs, wood, and more. A book by Marvin Cano about the jigsaw puzzle is made of 5 jigsaw pieces that fit together. Antara Morfe built a hand-bound sketchbook, then invited 80 strangers to draw a dog on one of its pages. Jason Stack returned to his childhood home 12 years after moving away to photograph the surroundings that formed his earliest memories, creating a book to "catalog the experience [and create] a new ownership...over the space." 

Art of the Book 2015 continues through December 12. The Cooper Union, Foundation Building, 2nd floor lobby, 7 East 7th Street, NY, NY. Hours: 11 am to 6 pm. Info Also see: The Book in Motion here

Students in Professor Margaret Morton's class are: Alex Brindis, Antara Morfe, Brianna Leatherbury, Chiara Barlow, Deanna Maffeo, Evan O'Connor, Emma Brown, Jackson Stack, Kalle Wadzinski, Lauren Bishop, Maja Griffin, Marvin ‘Nick’ Cano, Morgan Roslyn, Roni Aviv, Samantha Ritchie and Trine Struwe Hansen. Photos: Peggy Roalf.

If you like this feature and wish to subscribe to DART, go here.

BookArtsEx