Introduction

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Syracuse University Library – Special Collections Research Center

Scattered by Jamie Shoneman

Art Photography, Senior

All of these factors fueled Jamie's thought process in creating Scattered: "Over the past year I have become involved in many projects involving the military, and through this I have become friends with men and women overseas, specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan. In our correspondence, there are certain moments and certain quotes that encompass so much of their experience or emotions at the moment I am compelled to save them. Scattered represents one such moment. It contains an unaltered quote from a friend in Afghanistan, but his identity and specific location are left unrevealed within the book. Such information is unnecessary, except to satisfy the curiosity of the viewer. This moment is unique and personal to him, but also universal. It is the human experience and providing full details within the book, and even within this statement, would detract from this amazing realization. I do provide clues, specifically the choice of ribbon to bind it with, a cultural symbol that embraces the words. In this instance, the symbol is truly attempting to hold the pieces together, to comfort and provide support. As previously stated, I was interested in sensitivity and the inevitable deterioration of material, themes that lend themselves readily to the topic of war, death, and grief. Therefore, I chose materials that would not attempt to hide these moments and the passage of time, ownership, and handling. While intact for the moment, the ribbon will fray, the paper will surely bend from the pressure of time, and the lettering sits on the brink of extinction. This all to me fulfills and supports the moment written inside, the delicate balance of not only life and death, but of disappearing, being forgotten. The book is human and mortal."

"This work was inspired by Jocelyn Webb's Winter Light. I was extremely interested in the use of texture and material in Winter Light, particularly in how the book created a very different sensation of touch compared to the traditional book. Wax is a material that is sensitive to temperature and touch, and it is vulnerable to wear, scratches, and the general passage of time. In the creases, there was a natural buildup of wax, and the imprinted words could, if desired, be easily destroyed. I became interested in that balance, the use of material that surrenders itself to this process. Just as for the historical books made of leaves and natural material, it seems the inevitable destiny of books is deterioration."

Winter Light by Emily Dickinson

Original Sumi ink drawing on handmade Okawara paper that was submerged in bees wax. The text was letterpress printed directly into wax. The covers are bees waxed Okawara paper over boards. The book was designed and produced by Jocelyn Webb in an edition of 9 copies

Jamie Shoneman is an art photography major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Currently finishing up her senior year, she is expanding upon a previously discovered love for making and altering books. She often uses found materials to create conceptual pieces that work with themes including preservation or alteration of the past and memory, the human experience, as well as more humorous pieces of reality and her own personal experiences.