My pop-up sketchbook represents a naive form of making, trying to recapture the child’s energy and intense imagination during creativity. This method allows me to produce quickly without getting bogged down in detail and striving for perfection, and often incurs accidents that add a fresh perspective to the work.
The sketchbook reminded me of the university library’s artists’ books collection, which includes big names such as Christian Boltanski (Ost West), Sturtevant (Finite Infinite) and Les Bicknell (The Book of Art). Reflecting my use of readymades and detritus, I was particularly drawn to Sturtevant’s book, which was based on the mantra ‘Remake, Reuse, Reassemble, Recombine’, and Jon Bentley’s Book of Discarded Things. Size A5 and handmade, it looks at first glance as though it had been made in a slap-dash way, with a cover that houses a collection of discarded blue objects – Smarties lids, a broken peg, Bic pen, toothbrush, random pieces of fabric and plastic – and is tied together with two pieces of ragged ribbon. Bentley’s creation follows the traditional format in that it has pages, a cover, end pages and a spine, but its draw is its unpretentious yet carefully considered aesthetic that elevates the status of items deemed rubbish.
John Bentley’s Book of Discarded Things (front cover). Photo Shirley A
Book of Discarded Things (back cover). Photo Shirley A