The Vespiary Book Binding & Book Conservation

A couple of interesting videos have crossed my laptop screen over the last few days.  The first is an upcoming documentary called “Between the Folds.” Produced by Green Fuse Films, this movie features a number of artists and scientists who are exploring the bleeding edge of the origami frontier.  It will be broadcast in December on PBS’s Independent Lens program, and at a number of other screenings. As someone who trained as both a scientist and an artist, I frequently drool over elegant marriages of the two, and the recent scientific focus on the art of folding inspires me.

The second video I heard about on the Book-Arts list-serv. It was made by Abigail Uhteg who recently finished an internship at the Women’s Studio Workshop. She made a video flipbook of 3000 photos that she took over the course of two months that detail her process of constructing an edition of 35 artist’s books. I love how the books appear to sew themselves, and how you can briefly see the artist joyfully jump after couching some paper.

I’ve also been addicted to Craft in America, but that’s another story…

I know it’s been a while but I’ve been under the gun to finish a number of projects for the end of my Master’s degree.  However, the shed is nearing completion and I’m rarin’ to move in.

A pal of mine in Helena just alerted me to this fascinating book art exhibit that is touring Montana and hopefully the rest of the nation.  The exhibit is called “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate” and is a testament to how creativity can be used to combat bigotry.  Some time ago, the Montana Human Rights Network acquired a vast number of white-supremacist books. Instead of destroying them, they were donated to various artists to be part of a show with the goals of educating and stimulating dialogue about racism. The show is currently at the Jesse Wilbur Gallery in Bozeman from October 15 til December 15.  It is also scheduled to be shown at Montana State University’s Helen Copeland Gallery from November 23 to December 18. With the frightening resurgence of white supremacist groups (especially here in Montana), it is vital that we combat hate with creativity and resourcefulness.

If you can’t make it (or don’t want to wait til it starts traveling outside of Montana), you can find some of the work included in this collection online. Check out the following:

• Lisa Jarrett (click on “In Equality”)
• Marc Morris
• Robbie McClaran
• Ralph Esposito
• David Kamm

Each of these last few phases really does something radical to the appearance of the Vespiary’s future home. We recently finished wiring and insulating, as well as putting up all the drywall and paneling. We ran out of sheep’s wool and for speed’s sake, we opted for regular ol’ insulation to finish the job. Working with the wool was far and away a much more pleasant experience than fiberglass. That stuff is evil.

It’s getting close to the end and I’m starting to look at workbench and bookshelf plans.  If you have any favorites, pass them my way.  I’m hoping to use up some of the smaller (but very wabi-sabi) leftover pieces.  Here’s a link to a website that had a bunch of woodworking benches.  I think they’ll work out well slightly modified.

Oh yeah, one update I hadn’t put in - see this panel with the holes in it?

Unhappily, it caused me a fairly major injury.  We drilled comparable holes into some 2×4s as vents for the roofline.  The paddlebit on the drill I was using caught in the wood and instead of the bit spinning, the drill spun, and ripped my right arm out of socket.  I’ve got dislocation in my genes it seems, as this is not the first time, but everyone please do your rotator cuff exercises, and watch out for those paddlebit drills!

I’ve been loving the weekly feature in the New York Times, One in Eight Million, which features a short profile of a New York denizen.  Each entry is a beautiful set of black and white portraits narrated by the subject.  This week’s selection was a long time art restorer named Teresa Zakow. She talks about the comfort of continuing her craft after the loss of her husband and fellow restorer, Joel Zakow, who passed away in 2006. Being from Poland, she has an accent that closely resembles my grandmother’s, which makes this bio all the more endearing to me.

It’s really getting exciting now. June and July were all about getting some major work done on the inside of the shed.  We put in the reading/lounging loft (for me, the most anticipated part of the project), and are almost finished with the floor.  This floor just screams Montana. It’s locally harvested circle sawn fir from Superior Hardwoods right here in Missoula. On seeing photos of the floor boards, a friend pointed out that the circle saw was invented by a Shaker woman named Tabitha Babbitt.  The texture that the circle saw leaves on the boards makes me think of Old West saloons, and the stain we just put on over the weekend makes it look like it’s 100 years old again.

Below are some pics of the project, and as always, more can be found in this Flickr photo set.

Today’s honorary conservator award goes to vigilant Helena janitor!

Tammy Moore, who works at the Capitol building in Helena, found a trove of newspaper clippings about and by Jeannette Rankin, first woman elected to the House of Representatives, in boxes marked as trash. She took them to the Governor’s office and they are now being displayed at the State Historical Society.  Nice catch!

Video below.

Summertime means outdoor festivals and markets here in Missoula.  The weekly People’s Market is a great place to check out what’s new in the local DIY scene.  I love the beginning of each summer because there are always new additions, winter craftsfolk taking their products out for a test run.  I was wowed by a new leatherworker who I happened on at the recent Missoula MADE fair, Joe Goertzen. He makes gorgeous fishing, hunting and mountaineering equipment, and I fainted dead away when I saw his personal weathered-in creel style bag. Talk about wabi-sabi!

The Missoulian featured him on the front of the Regional section, and I was inspired by the fact that his business grew out of his own personal need for an efficient fishing kit tat he could take with him on a bicycle. I’m currenty dreaming up designs for my own portable bookbinding toolbag, since he loves custom work.

You can find him at the People’s Market on Saturdays, or visit his online shop.

Hooo, it’s been a busy month, but we’ve finally topped out the workshed. Our contractor Anne told us about the ceremony of topping out, called richtfest in Germany, a traditional event that occurs when the framing of a building is complete.  Western Folklore has a long article that explores the various permutations of the ceremony through cultures and building traditions.

“Topping out” is the term used by ironworkers to indicate that the final piece of steel is being hoisted into place on a building, bridge, or other large structure. The project is not completed, but it has reached its maximum height. To commemorate this first milestone the final piece of iron is usually hoisted into place with a small evergreen tree (called a Christmas tree in the trade) and an American flag attached. The piece is usually painted white and signed by the ironworkers and visiting dignitaries.

We didn’t hoist an evergreen bough or flag, as is traditional, but we have instinctually been enscribing our names and little drawings of protective spirits along the way, which is one of the less common practices of topping out.

Below you’ll find links to photos of various stages over the course of the last month.

Set 1

Set 2

I’ve written about the National Library of China in Beijing before, but a coworker pointed me at this nice short video of Du Weisheng performing some paper mends in his workshop and talking about the dire need for more conservators to preserve the ancient resources of their country.

A recent article also features the Rare Book Restoration Center.