A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Book 217 - Recycled Paper Plates Blank Book/Journal for 9/11

A paper plate book? Well... why not? Allen picked these flag plates up for me one day not long ago, knowing I'd find a way to use them in a book. Today, on the 10th anniversary of that horrible day, seemed like the perfect time.

I used to live in New York City and spent a lot of time down at the World Trade Center. My ex-husband and I used to take regular evening walks there. I often ate a picnic lunch in the plaza by the fountain. And I remember standing at the very base of one of the towers looking straight up that very tall, very straight wall. I also remember one very down day when I took the elevator to the top observation tower and watched the planes take off from JFK airport wishing I were on one of them.

The  NYC skyline will never be quite right for me without them. But how much worse the lives of those who lost loved ones there and their lives will never be quite right without them.

So it is a day to remember... for many reasons.

I took these flag-pattern small paper plates and cut one flat edge for a spine. I cut the cover plate down so that it nestled in the bottom plate and added the pre-9/ll skyline silhouette to it. Then I cut red, white and blue pages and nested them into six signatures. Hand bound the whole book together with a single-needle coptic stitch. I like the way the book lies in the bottom plate.





4 comments:

  1. So creative and very meaningful!

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  2. Wow! That is so clever! Fitting project for the anniversary, too. :)

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  3. Very nice idea well done. Did you see the Paul Simon video?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eanv5XRjwLg

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  4. I did see it, Rita, and loved it. Not a dry eye in this house.

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