Beatrice Coron, Prayers for the Unfaithful, New York, 1997 [open edition]

A humorous and smart publication that serves as "a talisman for the non superstitious. Just hang it and you will be protected effectively." This delicate book comprises the traditional accordion, but threaded down the center is another type of accordion called a 'clamshell' accordion. Divided into four sections corresponding to the silhouetted figures, each part comprises a prayer for the non superstitious with the themes of: Health Goddess (protects against the flu and bad breath), Love (let us always remember names and birthdays), Wall Street (may we never endure data loss), and finally, Jetset Lady (help us to travel in style and within budget...). 

The little medallion at the bottom that helps to hold the book open when hung, has two cryptic letter-type markings on either side but when you superimpose the two parts it read "shit happens."

Beatrice Coron was born and raised in France. She has lived in Taiwan, Mexico & Egypt and has been living & working in New York since 1984 [Béatrice Coron]. A big shout out to Bert who kindly gave me this accordion. 

8 pages, individual pages 1.25" x 2.75," when opened it's 1ft 10inches.

Alcatraz and Beyond, San Francisco: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, 2014.

A nifty little publication printed on thick boards that gives the book a certain heft. One side juxtaposes photographs of assorted inmates with images highlighting what was happening outside in the larger culture throughout Alcatraz's history. The other side presents a written history of Alcatraz (1934-1963) accompanied by photographs that show prisoners engaged in a variety of activities all of which were associated with a number of different prison rules.

This is a thoughtful publication that provides a good introduction to the rich history of the nation's first maximum-security prison.

30 pages, double-sided, 6" x 4", fully extended 10'.

Some Breath King, PFCA International Artist Residency, Minneapolis: Aesthetic Apparatus, 2013 [edition 99]

All of the accordions that I put up on this blog usually have something we can learn from. But this publication is the exception as its a mess and at $45 a copy it's an expensive one at that. But it still can teach us something about face-to-face pairings and then their sequencing across the width of the accordion. 

The premise amongst this international and domestic group of 20 artists gathering in Minneapolis is that they would be randomly paired off and then each of them would be required to choose a character from a prepared list. Then each pair were required to collaborate in creating a one-page work that reflected an interaction between the two characters. I have no issue with this model of art making and indeed some of the individual pages are cool. So at this point the group had 10 works sequenced into 5 pairings. Presumably the accordion format was chosen as the most expedient and economical way to present this project. But this is where the problems start. The 5 pairings are awkward with the works seeming to resist each other, and these tensions carry over into the final sequencing of the pairings across the accordion. Additionally the paper the work has been printed is not suited to this type of folding as it leaves rough and uneven spines on the folds which effects the experience of holding the books in one's hands. The final result is a disjointed and jarring accordion that probably would have been better presented in the traditional book format!

10 pages, 8.5" x 7", total length 5' 10'.

Front and back covers.