Exhibitors
[Click on image to select]
Syracuse University Library
– Special Collections Research
Center
|
Karen Hanmer, Glenview, Illinois
The Book of Origins
Structure, colors and onlays represent key themes and images
in the text. Dirt clinging to the roots of a tree that fell to the then
aquatic world through a tear in the sky was used to create land on the
back of a wise and revered turtle. Dual panels represent the twin brothers
who divided the new land. Antlers represent the final duel between the
brothers. Sewn boards binding covered in full goatskin. Endsheets of brown,
blue and green Spanish marbled paper. Leather joints. Acrylic decorated
edge. Goatskin onlays. 8-1/2 x 5 x 1 inches. Bound 2005
Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones
Design inspired by the theme of duality woven through Ficciones,
and by Borges' reminiscence of childhood, "I used to stop for a long
time in front of the tiger's cage to see him pacing back and forth. I
liked his natural beauty, his black stripes and his golden stripes. And
now that I am blind, one single color remains for me, and it is precisely
the color of the tiger, the color yellow." Sewn on tapes laced into
boards, covered in full yellow goatskin. Back pared onlays of pale yellow
and black. Textured pale yellow endsheets, leather joint. Sewn endbands
of black and yellow silk. Acrylic edges. 8 1/4 x 5 x 1 inches. Bound 2006.
Karen Hanmer's books and installations fragment and layer text and image
to mirror the experience of personal and cultural memory. Her artists'
books are meant to be handled; the intimate scale, choice of materials,
and posture and gesture required to view each piece evoke the experience
of looking through a photo album, diary, or the belongings of a loved
one. However, her works often take playful forms, and many include tongue-in-cheek
text. She exhibits widely, and her work is included in collections ranging
from Tate Britain and Yale University to Graceland. Hanmer holds a degree
in Economics from Northwestern University, and her binding instructors
include Scott Kellar, Monique Lallier and Priscilla Spitler. She is Exhibitions
Chair for the Guild of Book Workers, and serves on the editorial board
of The Bonefolder, a peer-reviewed online book arts journal. Website at
http://www.karenhanmer.com.
|
