wrestling process...

Often when we look at the end result of any endeavour it's hard to see the process or thinking that went into the work (and maybe that's a good thing!) but for the curious I thought I'd share just a little bit of the evolution of my 'paper wrestling' BAO edition two 'book' and some of my thinking...

The small circular book forms I'd started playing with last year provided the inspiration for me tackling this project ....
 

this is one of those times where I had a form and realised that with a bit of play it would fit the content quite nicely thank you very much! 

So I off I went to play - exploring ideas about form, construction and materials....

hmmm unwieldy - it would take forever to make each 'book' in the edition... how would I post it? and how would the poor thing get along in its new home when it's all dangly like this?

time to reel in this beastie a bit me thinks!

As I refined the form I also turned my attention to colours and materials. I decided I wanted this new BAO piece to have a dialogue of sorts with my first BAO edition... I've intentionally chosen to include some snippets of hand marbled paper in common to both editions, and to base the colours of this new book on my hand marbled paper....

a final mock up
(minus most of the 'handmade' elements - the calligraphy, letterpress, typed text)

I made some changes to the colour, text style, size and materials
but basically I figured this form would work...

then it was on to some of the time consuming hand tasks

 informal calligraphy - gold gouache on canson mi-tientes

 

letterpress forme in the C&P

(all to create the almost hidden impressed 'RA 2011'
- have you BAO peeps found the letterpress impression yet?)

typing typing typing
on my lovely old brother typewriter

(a preteen birthday gift..... yes I learned to touch type as an 11yr old!)

 the trusty epson

gathering components ready for binding

(I already had a small stockpile of handmade papers
from my first paper making attempts last year...) 

 and in case you were wondering - the printed image
(sliced and diced beyond recognition in the final work)

is of a book installation in the new dairy

(undertaken just days before the place became operational)

The installation was meant to record the largest personal struggle I've had over this past short while - reconciling myself to the mammoth change on the farm as my partner returned his family farm to dairy.... let me tell you it has NOT been an easy transition for me... so when thinking about things wrestled, I wanted to include my personal wrestling match, even if the photo/installation is unrecognisable in the final book form.....



et voila!

'Wrestling paper'

by Rhonda Ayliffe

coptic-bound circular (or 'flower') booklet – edition of 25

2011

I hope all the BAO folk who received a copy enjoy the piece - 

I certainly enjoyed making all the books
(this is actually the largest edition I've ever attempted)

Very soon I'll be releasing for sale 12 books from this edition

so stay tuned for details

** ps the huge delay in getting these out to all the BAO peeps involves a long and boring tale of trying and eventually failing to get a simple clear box of appropriate size and price to keep these small books in..... aggggghhh - you guys have no idea of the pain and suffering endured and all for nothing!

.....