I really keep meaning to get back into doing sewn book bindings, but I only seem to do collaborative books these days, and I really love the accordion format for collaborations. They are easily expandable and you can do fun things with the images continuing between pages. I also like that you can use both sides of the paper- when you get to the end, you turn the book over and it’s like another whole book! I think I might make some accordions on my own with different contrasting themes to each side of the book, like light/dark, life/death or something.

I’ve already started drawing in this book. It’s an imaginary map, made while sitting in the bathtub, playing with dripping water to make the ink run. I recently saw the Galileo, the Medici, and the Age of Astronomy exhibit at the Franklin Institute, and it was so inspirational! I’m fascinated by that whole era- how human knowledge of the world was expanding at such a rapid rate, but there was still such a sense of the mysterious and wonder at the universe, and art and science were still so entwined. I love the aesthetics of all those old maps and astrological/navigational devices.  (Here are a few of my favorite objects from the exhibit).