International Miniature Bookbinding Competition

On July 18, 2016 By American BoundIn Binders, Competitions, MiniaturesLeave a comment

Were you inspired by the miniatures in the exhibit of Neale Albert’s collection at Yale?

Try your hand at it!

Here’s a new international set book competition. The book looks pretty interesting. Below are the details, rules, and registration form. Good luck to all who enter!

flyer

Competition rules MBC

Entry form MBC

The Dutch Handbookbinding Foundation (Stichting Handboekbinden) is organizing an International Miniature Bookbinding Competition in 2016/2017. This event is being organized in close co-operation with the Meermanno Museum (the oldest book museum in the world) in The Hague and Private Press De Buitenkant in Amsterdam. The competition will be closed with an exhibition at the Meermanno Museum autumn 2017.

Bookbinders worldwide are invited to enter this competition. The famous Dutch writer Geert Mak will exclusively write the text ( in English) for the miniature book to bind. Moreover, the well-known graphic designer Max Kisman will do the illustrations.

The jury will be made up of a panel of bookbinding experts and book designers who will be looking for a high standard of craftsmanship in relation to the bookbinding process, together with an original and innovative design. The jury will award three prizes for the most beautiful and well-crafted books, € 1000, € 750 and € 500 euros will be rewarded to the first, second and third prizewinner respectively.

All prize winning books will become the property of the Meermanno Museum and will be part of a new collection of miniature books, to be constituted as a result of this competition. Non-winners may choose to donate their entry to the Meermanno Museum (receiving a signed certificate of donation) or to have their entry returned to them after the exhibition.

You are invited to participate. You will find more information in the attachment to this mail and on our website www.stichting-handboekbinden.eu.

For questions and/or additional information you can contact Lidy Schoonens at lidy.schoonens@planet.nl or Tine Krijnen at info@miniatuurboekbinden.nl

What Makes a Binding Great?

On March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 By American BoundIn Eye Candy, ManifestosLeave a comment

Bookbinding is a difficult profession. It costs a lot of time and money to attain the level of craftsmanship necessary to do anything well. Being an obsessive perfectionist is not an absolute requirement, but it helps.

Then there are the artists who have chosen bookbinding as their preferred medium. It is a bit perverse of them. The level of craftsmanship, the depth and breadth of the knowledge of structures and materials that they must achieve before they can begin to create art in codex form is astounding. Combining all of that knowledge to imagine and create new tools, new structures, new techniques, and use unusual materials with which to express themselves is something few can do. Even then, not every binding is a success. This is true of art in any other medium.

Continue reading “What Makes a Binding Great?” →

My Day in Bindings, Part 2

On September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 By American BoundIn Catalogs, ExhibitsLeave a comment

It seems like ages ago, but I’m still thinking about my fine art bindings orgy on September 10th. In my last post, I didn’t comment on the La Couleur du vent exhibit, sponsored by ARA Canada and École Estienne, at NBSS. It would have made the post way too long.

Seeing La Couleur du vent (that’s the title of the set book) in person made me think about the three ways we can experience a binding exhibit: an online exhibit; a print catalog; and a live viewing. This was the first time I was able to experience a single exhibit in all three ways. I was struck by the advantages and disadvantages of each method. I also thought of ways each experience could be enhanced.

Continue reading “My Day in Bindings, Part 2” →