THE STORY BEHIND THE BINDING

He didn’t reject my original sketches; he didn’t need to. The lengthy email reply providing guidelines for book design and artistic concepts allowed me to read between the lines. His suggestions plagued my creativity for almost a week, consuming me with with worry that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill the artistic requirement it takes to work under a master bookbinder such as him. So I sat in the bindery quietly pondering the creative direction of this timeless, politically charged book, when the dreaded realization hit. The best direction for the cover was, indeed, the iconic symbol I’d been fighting to ignore.

IN PROCESS
Making 1984 at Dimitris Bookbinding Corner

ABOUT THE BINDER

Jainabah Lumumba Phillips is a bookbinder and book artist working through JourneyMade Journals in Lakeland, Florida. Her practice explores traditional hand bookbinding, material craft, memory and the preservation of personal history.