Some of Rita's Musings on Artists Books

Here's an image from "Better Guns and Gardens", my artists book of the hour as the show at Artspace, CT (Un) Bound opens tonight! This has led to a loose collection of thoughts about artists books. We were walked through the show at Artspace and an associated show of artists books at Yale. Certain themes spring to mind while considering the realm of artists books...
First is that my books don't really resemble many of the other artists books. Many artists books are "one offs" as in so-called altered books (taking a pre-existing volume and manipulating it, often through carving into it or shredding it), or high end, fine letter press type set books that seem to want to lovingly replicate earlier volumes, or "books" made out of ropes or glass or conceptual materials. Many artists books seem to exist as single idea repositories- like the book that has wheels and looks like a model car. Or the book that has a bolt and a lock through it. Many don't even have pages.
Of the books that have multiple pages, many are shown only open to a single double page spread and remain that way until a curator or museum official comes through, dons gloves and turns it to another page. Almost all the books- single ideas, cut, sliced, riced and diced reside in vitrines where you can look, but not touch.
Herein lies one of my issues (and you knew I had to have one or two!). These books lie there, shrouded under glass or plexi, like so many patients in isolation or premature infants in incubators. They're like invalids that require oxygen and sterile conditions to live. (And in the off chance that you can handle the book, you are required to wear white gloves to protect the book from your grubby mitts.)  I find this peculiar, off putting and very contradictory.

Books, by their very definition (except those made by solitary monks in sequestered monasteries) are democratic. They're relatively cheap, mass produced and available. This is what makes knowledge accessible and dangerous. Even artists books seem more comfortable existing in editions- however small. They are meant to be picked up, poured over and handled. You really can't do this with any other art form. Paintings, drawings, sculptures are all on pedestals and in frames and your eyes can walk over them and you can physically move around them but you don't pick them up. They're not portable (generally speaking!).
Artists books, on the other hand call out to be fondled. I was the only artist at the show yesterday who's work was made to be picked up and groped. We all stood looking longingly at several of the books housed in glass sarcophagus, and collectively sighed how nice it would be to see the next page. But you can't... I understand why this is not always practical (too much finger dirt, people sneezing and oozing on the page) but it's unfortunate. We all know the artist handled their own books- without those white gloves- and passed it around at parties to their friends. But once collected, most artists books are doomed to an early death.
Here's where I step in. All of my books are made of indestructible materials like plastic and packing tape. Drooled on the book? Wipe it clean! Tore a page? Stick another piece of tape on it! And the fact that they're most often laser and photo copied at a large copy center only makes them more affordable. I say, bring on the man and woman handle-able artist book!