Paper world

{Paper}: a passion for books transformed into an art form, so inspiring. Sometimes the most obvious things are there for us to be pursued , although the path that we undertake may not be so obvious.

It was certainly the case for Sue Blackwell, who trained in art and design at Bradford College and then at the Royal College of Art, where she completed her MA in Textiles in 2003. It was during her time a the RCA that se discovered the world of sculpture, despite her choice of specialising in textile, that she went on experimenting with paper by making origami and sculptures.

It will be following her time at the RCA that she will begin making her book work.

She saw paper being used in spiritual ceremonies 'to mark the passing of the dead' and says it reminded her of her own work - giving old objects a 'new lease of life'.

She said: 'Around this time, I found a book in a second-hand book shop in Thailand, which had a history marked by it's previous owner in the shape of Thai writing pencilled in the margin.

'This was the beginning of what has become knows as my book-cut sculptures.'

The models look as if they 'grow' naturally from the spine and pages of the book. Sue Blackwell finds inspiration for each model from the book title or a paragraph or picture inside.

”I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes”.

“Paper has been used for communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to communicate with the spirit world. I employ this delicate, accessible medium and use irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions”.

Copyright picture: from Sue Blackwell website