Words emerge - Updated

Back in May I wrote a post about my early days with found poems (here). In the months since then, a number of questions have come up: 1) should I use the original pages or create reproductions; 2) what color of threads to use + how to weave them & knot them + whether or not to wax the threads; 3) should the pages be mounted to a background and, if so, what would be a good choice?

1. When it came to deciding if I should use the original pages from these old books, my answer came the moment I began sewing the first trial page. The over 100-year-old paper simply felt too fragile, and was certainly not archival. This led to the decision to digitally reproduce the pages as closely as possible, using a scan of the original. I then selected papers that shared some of the same characteristics as the book pages in terms of color & texture. Some of the pages from the original books are deckled/torn, thought not consistently so; borrowing their spirit, I deckled the poems on all four sides (which I also think helps them to stand on their own).
2. The earlier experiments sewing over the words that didn't belong to the poem entailed knotting the ends of each line on the front of the page, but I ended up preferring a less 'distracting' method that emphasizes the shape of the text block, in which the knots end up on the back. Lines of thread on the back also mark out the poem's presence on the front side. At first I wasn't sure if I should wax the threads, but decided to for the sake of strength/durability (as well as for my sanity...waxing the threads before use prevents headache-inducing knotting & tangling). The effect is a bit crisper this way—and not as 'full'—but I do think it suits the direction I ended up taking with these pieces.
3. My initial thought was to use marbled papers as backgrounds; I have a nice collection made by a local Florentine artist, and they seemed relevant since marbled papers are traditionally used in bookbinding/as end papers. Inspired by the appearance of the word 'silver' in one of the poems, I tried out an iridescent silver paper for its background; I like the simplicity of this look as well. Each 'background' paper is also adhered to 285g Fabriano Rosaspina for a bit of structure before the poem is sewn on.

Answering the questions led to the decision to also offer all poems without the background/border, and sewn with natural-colored thread that blends in with the page. Because each item in my shop is individually made, I have also given the option to create customized versions with other papers found in my shop.

All of those decisions came before the poems had even been 'found'! I'm not sure just how many hours I devoted to allowing the words to emerge—or how many revisions they then underwent over the last six months—but I have to say that it was most enjoyable. I love how certain phrases would capture my fancy, and the many possibilities/directions they offered. Because of the challenge of following a thread (so to speak), or finding some kind of narrative—which, in keeping with the concept of the found poem, had to flow in a predetermined order, and without traditional punctuation—each piece also comes with a postcard-sized version of the found poem arranged in lines showing the rhythm I had in mind as they came together.

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Photographing the pieces over the last week or two has been a challenge because of the lack of natural light, but I thought I'd share some of the photos I did manage to take. The sun does feature in a few, like those of the threads as I was separating each strand from the skein of six...I love the effect of the remaining strands as they bunch up—looks like a nightmare of a tangle, but isn't!

• '183/A Place of Wonder & Delight', sewn with green threads to a multicolored marbled paper background. {Note that in the second image the shadows of the sewn threads blend in with the threads themselves, making them appear rather thick & uneven. There is also another view of the finished poem at the end of this post.}

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• '120/A Fascination Lost', sewn with variegated threads to a marbled paper in autumn-tones.

 

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• 'In the Stillness', sewn with natural threads to a terracotta/chocolate/charcoal/gold marbled paper background.

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• "122/Much Wandering & Whispering", sewn with silver threads to a pearly silver background. {Again, the shadows cast by the threads are a bit distracting, and it's difficult to make out that they are grey/silver against the paper.}

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Below are a few images of the final process: the holes (shown on the back of the page); the basket of threads that I chose from; the backs of the pages, with the knotted threads.

The four finished pieces together...

 


As a reminder, this project first began here...

...and here's the ending place (at least for now)...

I do hope to revisit the found poems at some point, either to create new ones or explore other ways of presenting them...perhaps when I make my way further through the backlog of projects. In the meanwhile, thanks for following the process with me...

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{PaperSynthesis update: the Rose Garden calendar is now in the shop, and a calendar featuring a palette of Arno reflections will follow shortly. The found poems should be in the shop in the next day or two are now in the shop.}