Please Read
Heather Matthew, Australia
| Please Read;
Heather Matthew, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia, 2013 Five times a day the call to prayer issues from minarets all over the Muslim world. It is a reminder that prayers connect us to the infinite, as do books and ideas. In my travels throughout the Middle East and in other Muslim countries I am drawn to the beauty of Islamic architecture, the ritual of unfolding prayer mats. The series of books I have made for the al-Mutanabbi Street starts here project reference both the beauty of prayer and ideas juxtaposed with the terror of books burning throughout the ages. The bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street joins the long list of book burning from ancient Chinese philosophy books to the burning of the Bagdad Library. Please Read references the unfolding of a prayer mat, the persistence and survival of prayer and of books in times of terror and war. With its edges burnt and the books pages stuck together, Please Read is a prayer for both the survivors of the bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street and the survival of books and ideas. Dimensions: 24 x 22 cm (closed) 24 x 48 cm (open); Medium: Woodcut & collage Heather Matthew is a printmaker and book artist from northern NSW, Australia. She recently completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Southern Cross University, Lismore. Her artists' books have been selected for inclusion in numerous artist's book exhibitions both internationally and in Australia. Recent book exhibitions include Stellar, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, USA; Press & Release Artist Books, Phoenix Brighton, UK; Manly Artist Book Award, Manly, Australia (in collaboration with Joanne Olive) and Lessons in History Vol. II - Democracy (Graeme Galleries, Brisbane, Australia). hamatthew@gmail.com www.heathermatthew.com.au |