Tactile Art Club - From Old to New: Book Sculptures

We had another successful Tactile Art Club (TAC) meeting on September 21. With each coming month, we continue to be thrilled by the interest from students and individuals joining across the country. We were delighted to welcome guest artist Erin Schalk, Art Instructor at Braille Institute who conducted a workshop that takes old, discarded books and repurposes them into unique and highly textural sculptures.

Erin introduced students to the history of book art and contemporary artists who work in books, including Brian Dettmer (Ted Talk). Under Erin’s direction, participants learned multiple types of page-folding techniques from basic folds such as folded triangles, folded asymmetrical triangles, rectangular folds, to a variety of other techniques.
Thank you Erin for a wonderful workshop and art project. Please see the gallery below of a few examples of Erin’s students' book art. Participants walked away learning a variety of different techniques and ideas to try from a 3-dimensional cylinder to an “open book” sculpture and incorporate it into their own work!

Open Book with Flying Birds

This book has wires splaying in all directions inside of it, with cut birds emerging from the book. The birds are made of pages of the book, and each one has different words on it.

Heart-shaped Book: Top View

This book is open in all directions with pages of every color. The seam is folded to make a beautiful heart, and the pages are folded in loops.

Hanging Book Mobiles

This sculpture has taken books and folded them into 3d shapes such as diamonds and hexagons. The books are then suspended from the ceiling, like a chandelier.

Multicolor Magazine Art

This sculpture uses vibrant images from a magazine to create a thick book filled with looped pages, collaged images, and textures.

Open Book with Hearts

This book has folded, manilla pages that form the shape of six 3-d hearts when opened. The top of the hearts have words from the book, while the folds create vertical lines in the center of the hearts.

Open Book with Flying Birds: Top View

Open Book with Geometric Design

Open book with a symmetrical, 3d design. Pages are folded in loops on either side, and there is a diamond-shaped fan spreading from the centerfold.

Open Book with Flying Birds: Top View

Open book with Heart in Center and Ink Decorations

This is a white book with a folded heart emerging from the centerfold. In all four corners of the pages, there are abstract black ink decorations that are curvy and expressive. A twisted wire sticks straight from the middle of the book.

Abstract Book Doll

This artist has used an open book to create the body of a doll. On top of the spine is a head with loops of multicolored ribbon representing tight curls. The doll also has a collar, made from paper cutouts, and a pink bow with french words.

Here are the instructions of the workshop by artist Erin Schalk (if anyone needs a refresher on the steps) 

Peacock Tail Book Sculpture:

(1) Using a paperback or hardcover book, open the book in the center. Press your fingertips and your palm against the center of the open book to help relax the spine. (Optional -- for paperback books, gently remove the front and back covers).

(2) Working on either the right or left half of the book, begin collecting 10 pages at a time and rolling them gently (do not crease) toward the center spine. You'll want to take the long side of the pages and tuck them into the center spine. *These will form shapes much like the feathers on a peacock's tail or the petals on a daisy.

(3) Continue repeating this process: take 10 pages at a time, bend them toward the center spine, and tuck them into the center of the book. The pressure of the pages should keep everything in place, but if needed, add glue to help everything hold together.

(4) Once you've folded as many pages as you like on one side, repeat the steps on the other 1/2 of the book.

(5) For more information, here's an instructional video on how do do easy folded book art by San Diego Public Library.

(6) Optional: once completed, add tactile embellishments such as folded origami flowers, lace, beads, etc. Tactile materials can easily be tucked in between each of the folds.

Diamond & Flowers:

(1) Using a paperback or hardcover book, open the book in the center. Press your fingertips and your palm against the center of the open book to help relax the spine.

(2) Working on either the right or left half of the book, begin working with one page at a time. Fold a large dog-ear (triangular shape) from the top corner of the page. Again, fold a large dog-ear (triangular shape) from the bottom corner of the same page. *It's okay if the folds overlap, and you should be left with a triangle pointing to the side.
(3) Continue repeating this process: take one page at a time, fold both dog-ears (large triangles) starting from the top corner and the bottom corners. Make sure to crease your folds well. You'll also want to repeat this process on both sides of your book (i.e. you will end up with folded triangles on both the left and right sides).

(4) Once you've folded as many pages as you like on one side, repeat the steps on the other 1/2 of the book.
(5) Again, open your book in the middle with 1/2 of your folded triangles positioned on the left, the other 1/2 on the right.

(6) Taking the pointed corner, begin rolling these triangles into ice-cream cone shapes (think: rolling a tortilla or burrito) to the center spine. You'll likely need glue to hold the cones in place.

(7) Make about 6-8 cones and leave the rest of the folded triangles as is. You can also fill the cones with tactile materials such as folded paper flowers, tissue paper, etc.

(8) For more information, here's an instructional video on Introductory Book Sculpture lesson by Johwey Redington.

Artist Bio: Erin Schalk

Here is a bit more information about Erin Schalk and her impressive experience:

Erin Schalk is a visual artist, writer, and educator who lives in the greater Los Angeles area. She graduated with her MFA in Studio from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017, and she has exhibited her art throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

 In 2011, Schalk’s career as an educator began overseas in Okinawa, Japan where she taught visual art and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Since 2016, she has focused on teaching adults in non-profit and higher education settings, including accessibility-driven programs for individuals with visual impairments, as well as on the autism spectrum.  She currently develops, manages, and teaches the visual arts educational programs for the Braille Institute of America, Orange County.

If you would like to learn more about her, feel free to visit her website or her creative consulting and mentorship website.


Tags:
#tactilceart, #Artfortheblind, #touchart, #visuallyimpaired, #blindartist,, #accessibleart, #artforall, #sensoryart, #BlindandVI, #accessibility, #inclusion, #artmuseums, #artforeveryone, #accessiblemuseum
#lowvision, Art for the visually impaired, Art for the Blind