The silences

 I had such a lovely time making these books and spending time with the thoughts and words of my friends.

One of the most delightful things was the constant loveliness of the edges and the light and the pages and the covers...

Here is list of all the silences within, and a few images of some of them within  the book. In terms of design decision-making, I simply went with the silences in the order in which I received them. It seemed impossible to make a selection or decision based on anything else.

the silence of being awake at night beside a sleeping love

in our marriage a silence meant something needed to be addressed

quietly sitting in companionable silence with my lover and friend

as children we were told that if the radio fell silent, then someone had pressed the red button

the silence between the notes is also music

the hollowed-out silence of grief

a political silence (from most of australia)

in moments of silence i can hear myself gently exclaiming that i'm proud of you

when the silence of the inner world meets that of a cold moonlit night, i am at peace

moments when silence is all that i have to give

silence can sit quietly amidst noise

silence is a warm comfort blanket between the very best of friends

the silence o your own eyes in the mirror

the companionable silence when reading alongside each other

the silence of insults in the face of righteousness

i find my silence in stillness and inner quiet

One of the things I found most powerful and most moving about this project, was that each of the silences I received was one I would not have thought of, known or imagined.  It seemed to me our silences are unique and as a result quite personal and intimate.

I have collected and collated enough silences for there to be a second book, and the covers and pages are all cut, ready for when I can get around to setting type and printing.