A short story in text messages, Bare Abyss embodies an instance of the human capacity to seek company while unable to endure it. The pages were heavily treated with various techniques to materialize touch, while the text tells of desire to touch.

As per the Connecticut College, Linda Lear Center for Special Collections & Archives request, here is a detailed description of the techniques used for printing, treating and binding this limited edition of 2 books with one AP:

The background grid texture was achieved through the Itajimi technique using earth pigments for color (red clay and green clay from Kremer’s). Overlaying the grid there is an occasional blind pattern produced by means of paper stencils and a paper burnisher.

Each text page is actually an amalgamation of 5 different Asian tissues: mulberry 45grms is the base paper, to which the silk gampi 10grms bearing the text was added to both sides at the center. At the edges, thorn kitakata 30grms was added also to both sides. All these papers were layered together using rice paste.  After the laminated pages were completely dry, they were treated with melted beeswax lightly tinted with earth pigments (the center of each spread was spared this waxing process though, because that would have made the fold brittle.) The trims added at the very edge of the text pages are scraps from the main treated sheet, adhered last of all using PVA.

The black smudged text was printed by means of hand-set type rubbed with lithocrayon against 10grams gampi silk tissue. The blind-embossed text was hot-stamped over heavily waxed western paper.

The wood covers were woven to the text block as per the Secret Belgian binding.

2007, 10×8,5″, edition of 03 (all collected privately and institutionally)

 

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