Memento, 2012
Julie Chen, USA
| Julie Chen, Berkeley,
CA USA Memento is about the fragility of the book and the power of reading. It includes a miniature book that is housed in wearable locket that allows the reader to wear the book close to the body. The simple act of carrying a book on one's person has diverse implications depending on circumstance and place. The locket also houses a triptych that contains a woven token commemorating Al-Mutanabbi Street in Iraq. The texts on the woven strips are taken from the preambles to the constitutions of the United States and Iraq. The image surrounding the token is of a booksellers stall on Al-Mutanabbi Street prior to the bombing in 2007. While the commemorative aspect of this piece is clear, the content of Memento addresses philosophical questions about the nature of reading and information transfer in our own lives as well as within the context of western culture in general. This edition is part of An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street. Julie Chen is an internationally known book artist who has been publishing limited edition artists' books under the Flying Fish Press imprint for over 25 years. She is an associate professor of book art at Mills College in Oakland, California. Edition size: 50 copies. Book size: 1 9/16” x 2 1/8” x 5/16” Medium: Letterpress printed from photopolymer plates www.flyingfishpress.com jchen@flyingfishpress.com |