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Debra Disman

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"CHAPTERS: BOOK ARTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA"

Chromatic Interactions III

August 14, 2017 By Debra Disman

“CHAPTERS: Book Arts in Southern California” presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in LA.

I was commissioned to create an interactive book.

I created “Chromatic Interactions”

Chromatic Interactions is a flag book is comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and flag pages which are pockets with windows cut out of them to reveal both front and back of the cards that visitor participants wrote and drew on, then inserted into the pockets.

 The front and back covers had windows cut out of them that correlated with the windows cut out of the flag pocket pages.

People’s responses, offerings, additions and interactions surprised me…they really did pause and participate.

This is one of my favorites:

May we all have…Joy…in the morning, in the night…all the time.

As Much As Possible.

JOY

Filed Under: Artists' Books Tagged With: "CHAPTERS: BOOK ARTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA", "CHROMATIC INTERACTIONS", ARTIST'S BOOKS, BOOK ART, BOOK BOARD, CAFAM, CRAFT AND FOLK ART MUSEUM, FILE CARDS, FILE FOLDERS, Flag Book, Handmade Books, HAPTIC, INTERACTIVE BOOK, PARTICIPATORY ARTISTS" BOOK, PARTICIPATORY ARTWORK

Chromatic Interactions II

August 14, 2017 By diannaj

 

Chromatic Interactions II

“CHAPTERS: Book Arts in Southern California” presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in LA.

I was commissioned to create an interactive book.

I created “Chromatic Interactions”

Chromatic Interactions is a flag book is comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and flag pages which are pockets with windows cut out of them to reveal both front and back of the cards that visitor participants wrote and drew on, then inserted into the pockets.

It was eye-opening to see how people responded, what they wrote and drew, and how the book transformed over time.

I am exploring this phenom through a series of posts, now that the show is over. The CAFAM was kind enough to save and give to me many of the file cards added to the book by the participants who interacted with the piece…keeping it in a continual state of transformation.

The front and back covers had windows cut out of them that correlated with the windows cut out of the flag pocket pages.

Someone had to remove the cards so that new ones could be inserted. I am still not sure if this was the Museum staff, or the patron participants themselves.
Here is some of what they wrote….

“STRIKE while the iron is hot”

“Speak Out

Stay Calm

Carry On”

“How can we stop the political train wreck?”

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. *activism….”

“people say don’t hate anything except for hatred”

This one “speaks” for itself.

Actually, they all do.

People

Speak

Out

Filed Under: Artists' Books Tagged With: "CHAPTERS: BOOK ARTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA", "CHROMATIC INTERACTIONS", ARTIST'S BOOKS, Bookmaking, CAFAM, Cultural Participation, Flag Book, Handmade Books, INTERACTIVE BOOK, Los Angeles Art Scene, The Craft and Folk Art Museum

CHAPTERS I: “Chromatic  Interactions”

June 28, 2017 By Debra Disman

CHAPTERS I: “Chromatic  Interactions”

The wonderful Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles currently has on view “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California” through May 7, 2017.

I had the opportunity of creating an interactive book for the show, one that potentially 8000 viewers/participants could become co-creators of by adding and subtracting color, pattern, graphics and text as they so chose.

weba

I created the flag book  structure from book board (covers),webe

watercolor paper (accordion spine), rice paper (covering the spine),webi

repurposed file folders (torn into pieces to “cover the covers” and folded to form the flag page pockets), linen thread (to stitch the flag pages/pockets), Lineco Neutral pH Adhesive (for gluing) ,webd
and colored file cards (to write and draw upon, and insert into the pockets in varied arrangements), to create  “Chromatic Interactions”.webc
I aligned the ‘windows” in the covers, with the windows cut out of the flag book pockets, 
webf

so that the file cards would read through the front and back cover apertures.webg
The results of offering the public the opportunity to express themselves through interacting with the book were fascinating.
webm

I was moved that participants were expressing their feelings about current events, and the “state of the nation”. webn
Some just got silly and had fun.
webp

Some asked profound questions…reflecting what is on the collective mind.webq

Some waxed poetic.webu
And one young artist expressed her feelings through creating a bookmark, as all the windows were filled!
webw

 Perhaps the greatest treasure of all…

Thank you Inez!

And thank you to the wonderful Holly Jerger, curator, for this amazing opportunity to give CAFAM viewers a voice..I am looking forward to seeing what else they have to say.

Filed Under: Artists' Books Tagged With: "CHAPTERS: BOOK ARTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA", "CHROMATIC INTERACTIONS", ACCORDION SPINE, ARTIST'S BOOKS, Book Arts, BOOK BOARD, BOOKBINDING, CAFAM, FILE CARDS, Flag Book, Handmade Books, LINECO NEUTRAL PH ADHESIVE, LINEN THREAD, The Craft and Folk Art Museum

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