Interview for Cass Arts Blog

To celebrate World Book Day, which was last Thursday, I was approached by Cass Arts for an interview for their blog. Here is a snippet of the interview, to read it in full, go to http://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/world_book_day_su_blackwell.htm

World Book Day Interview With Book Sculptor Su Blackwell

World Book Day; when children and adults alike dress up as their favourite book characters, celebrate their favourite stories and dig out their best books to read again. And we all know that art and books go together beautifully - a piece of art preserves its own story, meaning and piece of history, just as the published book does.

Some artists take the marriage of art and books even further. Su Blackwell, an RCA graduate and artist who works primarily in paper, makes book sculptures and installations out of second-hand books. She has been commissioned to make work for several publishers and magazines, and well-known brands like Crabtree & Evelyn and Volvo.

But it's World Book Day, and we wanted to talk to her about her page-turning, story-telling inspiration that comes from the beautiful book itself. 

Happy World Book Day Su! Before we talk art – do you have a favourite book of all time?
It's hard to choose one above all others, but I could pick out some of my favourites...Alice in Wonderland, Wuthering Heights, The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and most recently The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness. I love the fantasy elements in these stories.

Betty in Cloudland

Can you tell me how you got into making Book Sculptures?

I studied mixed media textiles and sculpture at the Royal College of Art, and during a trip to South East Asia, I was introduced to paper folk art for spiritual ceremonies. On returning to my studies, I began experimenting with paper, and this led me to cutting things out of books. It has been a progression since then, as I began sourcing books as materials to work with.

http://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/world_book_day_su_blackwell.htm