Mixtape Box

Here's a book I started years ago and plan to finish for my review board this semester. One of the first books I did along with a mixtape, around the same time Aubrey was doing his awesome mixtape tent project at RISD. Anyways, I had this one mixtape that I was really into - my boyfriend at the time saw the playlist and asked me "do you always listen to such sad music?" - I listened to it often and really felt it to be representative of my emotional state at that time. My uncle had recently given me this great book about sign painting, that featured a whole bunch of fantastic alphabets. I chose something like ten different letter sets, and decided I was going to try and compose text cards for each song, using the restricted set of letters and trying my best to express something about the song through the typography. I spent forever laying these out, and then tracing them, measuring everything - and then colored them in (I think I had restrictions about what colors I could use too? This project was all about making something out of limited resources). Then I took them to staples, had them laminated, and started the box.

I think I had drawn up the box before I started the cards, but I'm not sure. The box is so far unfinished. It needs its lid, I need bookboard. There will be a flip up lid and probably a title on the top of the box. I dig this box a lot and remember it as being a really fun challenge to make - especially figuring out the sexiest way to fit the tape in. I love making boxes. And drawing up plans.

The idea behind this project is lofty and fun - each card is a song from the playlist of the tape, and the idea is that the viewer/owner of the piece would listen to the tape and be able to re-order the tracklisting to what they feel is appropriate. Dreams about having a color printer/copier set up have me thinking that the viewer would then receive some sort of print out of the cards in the order they arranged (maybe from .pdf's that would be printed out into some sort of one page book?), and a copy of the tape. I mentioned Aubrey and his project earlier because our two pieces were riding the same wave and I we hadn't talked at all while developing them. I would describe his but I don't remember it in detail enough to do it justice - but it was great, and you could record things you were playing/hearing. It's been a real pleasure having him as my mixtape friend in art for all these years now <3.

Aviary

So, hey, I'm back.

I showed some pictures of the start of this book a while back - and here's the finished project. It turned out alright, it's not aligned properly because I was sort of imprecise when I made it, but that's alright because it looks good when you hold it in your hands.

the first part of the book - photocopies of birds of prey from a guidebook.
i traced these birds and that's what the pages of this book are.

a progress shot - getting ready to adhere the transparency to the frame

after gluing it all together, including the tab for binding

I've never bound something using screw posts, even though I've wanted to forever - and I like it. Looks great, I love the use value even though it doesn't apply to this book, and it's pretty easy to do (although sewing is probably less effort). The cover went through a few stages, and unfortunately the photos I have of the cover aren't so great - but that one will do. I like how I left the cover - initially it had been just flat with AVIARY in gold in the center, but it was boring and I sort of messed it up. So, I made it a happy accident and I like the dimension the layers give the cover. There's tracing paper in between all of the pages, to help separate the clear pages. The pages are sort of meant to be looked at both alone and when held with the pages before/after them. Great shadows, too!

Birds

you can see the book hurr

i really love how the shadows look

Was in the library at school the other day looking at books on icons when I found the greatest pocket audobon guide featuring birds of prey. i made photocopies of my favorite ones and laminated them (with the roll of xyron laminate stuff i've had ever since i found it at that great recycling center amber took me to in pdx), popped some grommits in the corners (with complaint from downstairs neighbors) and put them together on some rings.

thinking i'm going to do a series of these tracings/drawings from the laminates, frame them sort of like slides and make a book of them. we'll see - thinking about applying color but not really sure if i want to or how i would do it.


sharpie on tranpsarency

Pattern Tape Book

A few images from a current project
After drawing a cassette tape template, the cassette is traced and then pattern and color are added
Planning on keeping this as an on-going project, would like to have at least 100 leafs before binding - book may be left unbound and kept in a box, undecided.
This project is an attempt to explore my interest in patterns, and to try and stretch my creativity for creating patterns and colorways.


Aubrey, brilliant stitchmaster behind Spool Spectrum is a total inspiration for this project - he is the master of many things, including patterns and mixtapes - often mixing them, resulting in great music with amazing labels. I will scan one and update this post, soon.