Here are some comments from Bernie from WMC, Maggie and Brooklyn from BYU about the book arts introduction session and the beach……
Bernie McHugh WMC
What a fun exciting day we all have had !! As students from WMC we shared our learning progress to book folding, such as the ploughed (plowed) field,the beak, the turkish fold and the blizzard with students from BYU. I feel this was a good chance to interact and get to know them in a less formal way. We were all able to give our encouragement to their new artistic adventures to book making. Our achievements as groups, using old books and personal choices of images, showed that in a short space of time what can be achieved. I was impressed with the input of ideas, combining different folds, which gave me and others more confidence into book making. Well done everybody!!
Maggie Golightly
Today was a day when my eyes were opened to many new ideas and sights. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to organise my ideas into a book form and today’s class helped me to feel much more confident. The lessons were simple, informative and fun! Practicing together as a team helped me to see book art in a personal light; I felt that I do have the ability to turn my concepts into book art. I loved working with the other students and learning from them. Everyone had wonderful ideas.
Later in the afternoon we spent time at Crosby beach. A few of us spent an hour gathering sea glass. The colours and shapes were just dazzling to me and i couldn’t help but wonder at the story behind each fragment, each was special in its own way.
I felt today that my soul was filled with new knowledge and vision, and I am excited to further my studies in Liverpool.
Brooklyn Day
Today is our second day in Liverpool and we seem to be feeling a little better now that we have had some time to adjust and meet everyone. I loved the project we were given today. We were given old books to work with and use as supplies and inspiration to make a collaborative group book.
Our books were filled with photographs from New York and the English countryside. We worked with the idea of place and how we connect ourselves to certain favourite places. Ours was a three tiered flip book, each tier having different landscapes from both the US and England layered in stacks. The point was to have the viewer create and combine their own landscape by turning the pages as they wanted.
We loved all the possibilities for landscapes this book allowed, and how it combined cultures and nations that both groups held close. It seemed to mimic how we were combining as new friends and fellow artists from different places.
When we went to Crosby beach I felt at home, I’m from California and grew up going to the beach every week. I was so happy we were able to visit such a beautiful place. Even though been to a beach like that and I’ve never been to Liverpool, I found similarities and familiar things there and felt more connected to the landscape here than I ever thought I would.
