Altered Books

Altered Books

I have always worked in altered books using the subject matter/ images to inspire my work. I usually choose books that are related to my work in some way but also from the past, as the language is more formal with forgotten phrases and outdated terminology.  A favourite altered book from 1998 was entitled “A Students Handbook of Housewifery”, which was certainly not connected to a love of housework.

 I found  “Where and Which Way” in a local charity shop about 10 or 12 years ago. It is a primer book for learning to read from the early 1970s; what attracted me was the white text on a black background and the unusual language, which inspired the work. It is this book which has inspired the name of the blog and the work I am making now. Although on  completion I was unsure how to take it further; I found when I returned to it that by making photocopy reproductions I could play with scale, enlarging details and combining images together. 

The text is used both in and out of context, fragmented and combined with new images. It has provided a lifeblood to my work and the use of text has become a constant from many other sources.