Anni Albers
As a novice artists' book maker I had never heard of the word materiality. Now, it is absolutely key to every book I make.
I like my Thursday Thoughts quotes as I often go looking for the person they are attributed to and discover some fabulous people. Clearly Anna Albers was a legend and at the forefront of art and making and the bit in between when it came to textiles in particular.
I wholeheartedly agree with her here, that materials ARE a means of communication. When I think about what the book might feel like - rough, soft, feather-light, hard or heavy; I know that the material choice is sending messages to the reader. It is communicating, and they are experiencing the book in a particular way because of it.
Aside from artists' book; I think about the use of warm and fluffy materials compared to jagged or rough ones; the sharpness of shattered glass alongside the layering of feathers; the use of torn cardboard versus diamonds encrusted objects.
Materiality matters. In my mind, it references many things and alludes to many things. Materials speak.
Fragile gains - the fragility of vintage, burnt pages with the sturdiness of a metal cover...
I confess I have heard it referenced in art time and again though I think my understanding of it placed it more in the category of relevance and cohesion; I had never thought to take it to Anni Albers' statement of it as a means of communication. What a difference that makes to everything. Interestingly, I was reading about Zarina Hashmi's life and work yesterday and materiality came up regularly there. Are you familiar with her? Much of her work, if not all, is centred on "home".
ReplyDelete