In the SFCB Gallery
Jan 25-Apr 25, 2008
Curators: Mary Austin & Kathleen Burch
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Jody Alexander, Jalex Press, Santa Cruz, California www.jalexbooks.com Bookbinder's mull, linen thread Jody Alexander discusses the concepts of loss and healing represented in her triptych of boxed "ghost books": "The Taking represents that which was lost or taken and the idea that one's memory often glorifies what is now gone. The messiness of loss and the associated grief is boxed up in The Uncurated. And, the process of picking up the pieces and putting them back in order is gathered up in the slim volumes of The Accumulation. "The process, and the craft, involved in creating these pieces are also associated with the stages of loss, particularly healing. The stitching, the binding, the putting things in order, the boxing up and moving on, the creating something out of nothing . . . these are all things that I find comforting. It is important that I work with materials that I enjoy and lately I have found bookbinder's mull, the primary material in these pieces, to be most intoxicating. The way in which the mull gathers, grasps and emits light has fascinated me. "Light and air are as much materials used in these pieces as are the mull and the thread. Stitching, and the act of stitching, is a vital component to these pieces. The stitching in the bindings, the decorative stitching on the books, and the stitching on the boxes are not only holding all these pieces together but the process of creating each stitch is meditative. The fugue-like, meditative, state that I fall into while sewing is healing and restorative to me, and I find myself craving it and creating excuses and reasons to fall into it. These excuses and reasons have pushed me to further my craft and have become the art that I have been creating." | |||
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