Thursday, March 31, 2022

Kit Martin, The Church Hymnary: Revised Edition, Dundee, Scotland, 2022


I'd never seen a cyanotype accordion until my friend John Shimon sent me one the other month (see on this blog). His piece sent me looking to see what else was happening in the world of the cyanotype - and the answer is lots and lots of cool stuff! 

The relatively simple cyanotype process was created by Sir John Herschel in 1842 and produces a wonderfully rich dark cyan-blue color, as seen below. Martin's web site (Kit Martin Photography) displays cyanotypes with all sorts of usually natural subject matter, like this floral-like work. 

The plus to this particular accordion is that its bound in a re-purposed Church Hymnary: Revised Edition which provides an interesting ecclesiastical context to the work!

6 one-sided page, each page 3.75" x 5.75", and when fully open 1ft 10.5".



back cover


Jonathan Monk, Meeting #13, Book Works & Yvon Lambert, UK & France, 2000, ed., 10,000

the envelope the work came in

A smart accordion by this Brit neo-conceptualist artist based in Berlin. The publishers blurb for this work states: "Meeting #13 is one in a series of text works by Jonathan Monk. In this series, the artist attempts to organise meetings somewhere in the world. We are given the details of a meeting - the place, date and time, nothing more. This basic principle and structure always remains the same throughout the series. The invitation to meet is potentially open to an audience of 10,000 (the edition), more like a rally or demo than a brief encounter. What will happen? Who will be there?."

I love the humor in this work, check out his other work on this blog People Looking at Art (2021): accordion publications: Jonathan Monk, People Looking at Art, Fifth Syllable, UK, 2021, ed. 50

8 double-sided pages, individual pages 4" x 5", and when opened up 3" 4".



back page

Goshuin-cho, pilgrimage stamp book, Japan, nd

         

Here's a type of accordion book that I'd never come across before. These Japanese accordion books are specifically for collecting the stamps/seals that you can get for a small fee when you visit Japanese shrines and temples. According to Lisa Wallin this has become a trend over the last couple of years, and apparently is particularly popular among women. This example has a cover made from traditional Japanese yuzen washi paper. Here's a link to Wallin's article explaining this very interesting tradition: A Beginner's Guide to Goshuincho: How To Get One and How to Use It | Guides & Insights
 
This book has 24 double-sided pages, individual pages 4.25" x 6.25, and when fully opened 8ft 6".


Goshuin-cho with temple/shrine stamps


Goshuin-cho with front and back covers