Lizanne van Essen makes cut paper artists’ books with surprising subjects. She’s recently made a set of “medical books” in which she is
endeavouring to incorporate medical conditions into a body of books. Humans have ailments and diseases and conditions, and for centuries books have passed on knowledge about the illnesses and their cures. Some illnesses can be passed on by touch, so the book itself could spread disease as well as possible cures, thus books used by victims would be destroyed. At the same time books themselves often suffer from their own variety of ills — some akin to human ones — breaks and tears; insect and fungal infestations; spots and blotches; missing or amputated parts. Inspired by my daughter I wondered what it would be like if, instead of informing the reader about human medical conditions, the books themselves displayed these actual conditions.
The book above is called “Osteoporosis.” You can see more, with titles like “Measles” and “Parasitic Worms,” here. And all her artist’s books here.
