By Ed Hutchins
Mt. Vernon, New York: Ed Hutchins, 2005. Edition of 32.
2.75 x 2.75"; 8 unfolding double-page spreads. Gocco printed on Environment Parchment with stickers, sequins, brass charms, buttons, brads, glow-in-the-dark stick-ons, lenticular panels, foamy shapes, puffed fabric, and stamped images added. Housed in clam-shell box. Numbered and signed by the artist.
Ed Hutchins: "Unfolding petal pages create a celestial pathway for a test describing a stellar friendship. "
In the constellation
of personal connections
that surround and support me,
your kindness and boundless humor
shatters the mundane
and brightens my universe.
Ed Hutchins, “Book Dynamics “: “The planning started in 1992, … but the concept never fell into place, and at one point, mice got in and nibbled away at the text paper that had already been cut and scored. As originally designed, there was a fat spine and a much thinner foredge. This never appealed to me, but after collecting unusual star shapes (stickers, sequins, brass charms, buttons, handcut and commercial stamps, brads, puffed fabric, punches, lenticular panels, foamy shapes, and even some pieces that glowed in the dark!) over the following decade, enough items emerged that the finished foredge is just as thick as the spine. The book evolved into eight unfolding double-page spreads that describe a stellar friendship. New pages were cut, scored, printed, decorated, folded, and assembled to make the finished book. The last addition, on the final spread, was the floating star bridge. ‘Star Book’ is Gocco-printed on Environment Parchment. Enough of the non-mic-nibbled original Fabriano paper was salvaged to use for the covers and custom clamshell boxes.”