Evidently, I like books. I don’t think it’s a problem yet, but it’s certainly an addiction which could lead to serious headache whenever I move. We have three tall book cases in our apartment. They’re already filled to the brim, and I have to use a full body slam to cram a book back into its place on the shelf. Clothing is one thing. I see a pair of jeans beginning to fray in uncomfortable places, and (eventually) I muster enough courage to give them away or, what’s probably better for everyone, pitch them. But books…what do you do with books when you’re not ready to settle down and build a library with your smoking jacket and pipe on hand?

More recently, I’ve discovered the beauty of books as sculpture. (Uh oh, does this mean I’ll be holding on to more books? Yes, probably. Such is life.) In this art form, the content usually isn’t as important as the shape and form of the book itself. In creating book sculptures of my own, I’ve noticed that repetition makes for a more impressive work. Below are photographs of my mixed media sculpture, Bookworm. It took many repetitve strokes of folding paper, pushing needle, and pulling thread to create the length of the book. I think I could push the repetition and keep going to make the sculpture longer.

Click on these artists to see other captivating examples of books as sculpture:

Cara Barer

Ania Gilmore

Georgia Russell