Sunday, February 14, 2010

Long live books...!

There are two kinds of readers. 
The ones who make notes in the margins throughout, and happily bookmark their spot by folding the top triangle of the page. And the ones who recoil in horror at the thought of such murderous and abhorrent crimes against books.
I proudly belong in the first group. I'm a folder and a scribbler. Wherever I happen to be reading, guaranteed there's a pen within arm's reach to asterisk, underline and boldly notate whenever I find a passage that deserves revisiting at some stage.
My friend MM is a staunch crusader of the second group.
What then, would she make of this?
My heart skipped a beat when I saw these bewitching folded-book sculptures by South African blogger Freshly Found. The example pictured above was made from a thick old engineering manual. Fittingly for February 14, Freshly Found writes: "I love how these boring (to me anyhow) books have taken on new life. The best thing about this manual was that it was dedicated to the author's wife! Who says engineers are not tenderhearted romantics?"
Well I wouldn't know about that last bit, but such artistry, using common objects, is inspiring! What an imaginative way to preserve an appreciation for books in the digital age - especially when they'd probably otherwise end up as landfill. I've even seen it referred to as 'upcycling'. (Yes, you heard it here first.)
I may have found myself a new creative pursuit for the winter. No glue, no pins. Original objects for the home. Apparently the repetitive nature of the technique is quite therapeutic. 
What do you think of these beauties?






1 comment:

Denise Kiggan said...

Thanks for the coverage!