Books using another book form
Artists sometimes use widely recognised forms of books such as passports or stamp albums which they reconstruct to tell a story, linked in some way to the usage of the original book. The specific form of the book serves as a departure point for their work, conveying and emphasizing the message. The conventions of the particular book are employed to expand the story.
Jonathan Tse in Portrait of an Australian uses the form of the Australian passport, subverting the Australian crest on the cover to incorporate his personal motifs and using immigration stamps to track his journeys into and out of the country. Components of other book forms are also imposed, for example school exercise book pages to show the process of learning a new language. However, in the background are the detailed security patterns indicative of the passport, using this convention to remind the viewer continually of the journey the book is describing.
Tracey Bush (b. 1964)
British butterflies
London: T. Bush, 2005
Edition: 23 of an open edition
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
ALAAB BUS
Angela Cavalieri (b. 1962)
La mia prima lezione
Melbourne: Angela Cavalieri, 2007
Edition: 3 of 6 copies
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
ALAAB CAV
Jonathan Tse (b. 1967)
Portrait of an Australian
Robertson, Qld: J. Tse, 1998
Edition: 6 of 10 copies
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
ALAAB TSE
Last updated: 30th August 2011
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