Artist’s Edition

The original idea for this project arose from meeting the master bookbinder Louise Bescond and seeing her inimitable technique and know-how as well as her creative talent and artistic hallmark. Normally, an artisan’s unique know-how becomes apparent at the end of the production process. Here, it’s at the beginning. 

From this encounter were born twin desires: to create an artist’s edition for which the artist herself would be the bookbinder, thus exploring the connection between artisan and artist; and to make this book an art object that would showcase the know-how of every specialized craft required to create and produce a collectible artist’s edition.

The project’s common thread is gesture, or rather the artisan’s gesture(s) behind the physical book, and what makes books one of the ultimate spaces of freedom today.