Chicago Art Magazine has an interview with book artists Mellisa Jay Craig and Brian Dettmer, by Stephanie Cristello, that starts
Does Book Art Have to Resemble a Book?
No, it’s not just you. First-time interactions with Book Arts can be a strange encounter; the first thing we ask ourselves is how on earth this can be considered a book.
The answer I’ve always gone to is: “It’s a book because the artist says it is” — But that answer seems too easy; I feel like I’m being tricked. These objects are carved, warped, twisted and turned, set on fire, you name it — some are just downright unreadable. So where do we stand when we’re faced with these things?
As an artist myself, I’ve been exposed to Artist’s Books for quite some time. This conversation, of what constitutes a book, is one that gets tossed around between artists pretty frequently. This roundup consists of two artists that work more sculpturally within the realm of Book Arts. So here are three things you need to know about the medium and its role in the third dimension.
Read more here, including the answer to “does it have to be readable.” The image above is of flying books by Melissa Jay Craig
After all this time the definition that works for me is…when a book stops being readable, it’s a object.
Granted it’s a bit curmudgeonly, but why shouldn’t books, like people, have second careers?