Using the medieval book of hours as a point of departure, Hours explores ideas of memory and time, ritual and alchemy. I devised a chemical process for the project, working directly on twenty-four offset printing plates that were used to print the pages of the book. On press, the treated plates accepted ink in surprising ways, creating analog images that "developed" through the process of printing. The images, printed in twenty-four shades of dark blue ink, are reminiscent of water and waves, rivulets and eddies, primordial creation and geological erosion. Each plate was used to print a press sheet, which was then folded down to create a sixteen-page signature in the finished book. Motifs repeat rhythmically across the spreads, and fingerprints and fold marks echo the ritualistic repetitions of the book's creation. The book is scaled for intimate interaction, with a multitude of bookmark ribbons that add to the composition in ways that change with every viewing.
Published by Container Corps and presented at the New York Art Book Fair, September 26-28, 2014.
384 pages
4.5 by 6 inches
Numbered edition of 150
Printed offset in 24 shades of blue, smyth sewn hardbound
My participation in the fair was supported in part by a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission.
