An altered book is a form of
mixed media
In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed.
Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...
artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its appearance and/or meaning.
An altered book
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
takes a book (old, new, recycled or multiple) and modifies it in any of various ways, such as cutting, tearing or folding, or embedding objects.
Altered books may be as simple as adding a drawing or text to a page, usin
book embossersto decorate or customize pages with a raised impression o
book stamp Altered books can be as complex as creating an intricate book sculpture.
Antique or
Victorian art is frequently used. Altered books are shown and sold in art galleries and on the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
.
An exhibition of altered books by contemporary artists was shown at the
Bellevue Arts Museum in 2009, titled ''The Book Borrowers''. It contained 31 works, books transformed into sculptural works. The
John Michael Kohler Arts Center was to host an exhibition of altered books in early 2010.
An interesting example of sculpture-like altered books can be found in the
mysterious paper sculptures left in various cultural institutions in Scotland, such as the Scottish Poetry Library and the National Library of Scotland.
Recycling old books and using them as art journals has also become popular with some art
bloggers and proponents of
upcycling.
See also
*
Artist's book
*
Found object
A found object (a calque from the French ''objet trouvé''), or found art, is art created from undisguised, but often modified, items or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made, often because they already hav ...
References
*http://thisiscentralstation.com/featured/mysterious-paper-sculptures/
*https://mixedmedia.club/a-crash-course-on-altered-books/ A Crash Course on Altered Books
External links
Lisa Kokin - altered book artist Book Folding Art Site - altered book artist and free patterns Corinne Stubson - altered book artistAltered Books Gallery - Altered books, tips and techniquesTom Philip's ''A Humument''Jacqueline Rush Lee homepageHow to create an art journalGuy Laramée's home pageAltered Books entry, Book art library guide at University of South DakotaBound and unbound II: University of South DakotaBound and unbound III: University of South Dakota A Crash Course on Altered BooksGo Make Something: Altered BooksAll About Altered Books
{{Decorative arts
Visual arts media
Book arts
Books in art