This project was inspired by an object found in my dad’s office, a lucite tombstone holding a small, open booklet from a deal my dad had worked on. I was instantly inspired, but I did not yet know how I would bring an object like this into my body of work.
I often see things for just what they are. I usually miss hidden meanings and metaphors in work I am viewing. The books I set in resin are just that, books, nothing more. They are just small versions of books I have designed during my time in the program, nothing more, nothing less. There’s no symbolism to the objects themselves.
At the same time, there is an aspect of hidden meaning in this project, but in a very literal way. Because the books are set in cubes of resin, you can’t read them. It’s just about impossible to understand what is in the books themselves, so they have to be appreciated for the objects they are.
I severely underestimated the time and effort it would take to complete this project. I honestly thought it would be a pretty simple project that I could finish over winter break. I was wrong, very wrong.
I purchased resin and molds and printed out the tiny versions of my books and got to work, but there were problems. First, the molds I ordered were smaller and flimsier than expected and did not fit the books very well. Next, I was hoping to work on my back porch in Atlanta, but apparently, resin needs the temperature to be over 70 degrees Fahrenheit in order to harden. Lastly, I did not realize that I had to seal the paper I was using for the books in order to preserve the colors on the pages.
I moved my work up to Boston as the semester started, converting my kitchen closet into a miniature resin studio. I purchased better molds and started experimenting with methods to seal the paper, eventually landing on laminating the pages.
This project took much more trial and error than most projects I have made. I pride myself on being able to get things done quickly and with few changes after the first draft. In making objects that represent how I perceive objects of art and design, I had to challenge my ways of making in order to produce a successful project.
Process
The lucite tombstone in my dad’s office that inspired this project.
My resin set-up in my kitchen closet.
My first attempt on my back porch in Atlanta that definitely did not go as planned.
The blocks I made that didn’t quite make the cut
Final Products
