I discovered the possibilities of a book when I first saw Gumby walk into one on TV, where he encountered the content as a tangible place. I accompanied him on his adventures, met new people, visited exotic places and learned about friendship.The word, ‘BOOK’ is used to imply both content and art form. An artist book is a work of art, not simply a means of conveying information. A book artist is a person who makes books as their form of artistic expression.
Like Gumby’s adventures, artists books are also tangible places. A reader cannot fully experience the subtleties of an artist book by thumbing through the pages. Some artist books must be held, some are free-standing, others may have fold-outs that must be manipulated by the viewer. Artist books can activate many levels of awareness by igniting emotions through text, image, theme and structure. A book can be private archive, a personal journal, a scientific investigation, a political treatise or an agent of social change.
Put down the cell phone. Experience the book!
Linda Piacentini-Yaple