The Chronicle stops the presses- Play offers new twist on classic story
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Graduate student channels classic horror in thesis film - Alumnus creates mobile gallery
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- Athlete Feats highlights for Feb. 22
- Baseball takes series from St. Thomas
- Women’s basketball wraps up second place in Florida Sun
- Athletics updates for Feb. 15
- Baseball off to best start in program’s history
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Class in the Spotlight
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Fibers course redefines concept of books
 Photo by Dane Sponberg Jen Swearington (right) and students in her Experimental Bookmaking course examine the results of an assignment to create Coptic bound books. By Monique Bos Published: Friday, February 2, 2007 Savannah College of Art and Design alumna Jen Swearington (M.F.A., fibers, 2000) has returned to her alma mater for winter quarter to teach four fibers courses. Among them is Experimental Bookmaking, which meets Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in Gordon Hall. The purpose of the class is to challenge “the conceptual and aesthetic boundaries of the book as a structure for creative expression and visual communication,” according to the course description. Students research various historic and contemporary bookmaking methods and create projects using an array of techniques. One of the first assignments was to construct round robin books. “Each of us made a book that we pass around from week to week,” Swearington explained. “The person who first makes it starts a theme within it, and we all build off that and respond.” Each person fills a two-page spread, and after four weeks, the books will return to their creators, who can see how classmates have reacted to and developed their ideas. Another assignment was to create Coptic bound books, which were due Jan. 30. “This is an ancient African form,” Swearington explained. “The sewing is done on the outside of the book, along the spine.” Students had to do one mockup and one experimental book, for which “they could go kind of crazy with it and create something new,” Swearington said. She emphasized to the students that their projects should reflect their personalities, and the results were diverse. “I like how you guys are using a lot of non-traditional materials for this — copper, corkboard, Plexiglas,” Swearington said as students examined each other’s work. Ryn Bruce, a graduate student in graphic design and creator of the corkboard cover, said she wanted to emphasize the interior of the book. “I’ve been working on a project on the topic of postmodern book cover design, and it was interesting to do something where the pages were the primary focus,” she explained. Each page featured multiple layers and collages, as well as quotes by famous women. Bruce used her own quotations on the front and back covers. Young Ae Kim, also a graduate student in graphic design, created stylized graphics for the interior pages of her book and incorporated her logo. She framed the book in paper that featured cut-out flowers, and she also used dried flowers inside, contrasting natural elements with her computer-designed graphics. Fellow graphic design student Jill Nemec incorporated letterforms into the interior of her book; she pressed them against the type paper she used for the pages. Her front and back covers consisted of aluminum, on which she created a flower design using an awl. “I wanted to play with a hard surface that contrasted with the … torn, softer inside pages,” she said. Amy Shu developed a book that opened in the center, with pages on each side. “I wanted to do a travel sketchbook, and I wanted it to close firmly so the pages wouldn’t get bent or scattered if you put it in a bag,” she said. “I also played with the size of the paper, so on one side, the pages go from large to small, and on the other side they go from small to large.” Marcie Little, who used copper for the covers of her book, embellished the inside pages with her favorite beverage. “I drink a lot of coffee, so I created designs with the bottoms of my mugs [dipped in coffee] on the paper,” she said. Allison Hensley dismantled small picture frames and used the back sides as her book covers. “I looped some yarn on the cover and then got a little doodle happy,” she said of her designs, which incorporated various materials. “I wanted something that was just fun and already doodled in. I also like thick and poofy, so that’s how the pages are.” Julie Anne Daniel used a photo of her dog’s legs on the cover of her mockup. For her more experimental project, she drilled holes in a women’s restroom sign and used that as the cover. “A friend gave it to me in high school,” she said. “It’s been in my drawer for years and I didn’t know what to do with it. I thought it would make an interesting book cover.” Gisela Friedrich-Mesbahi incorporated an unusual interest into the assignment: belly dancing. Her book was in the shape of a woman’s torso; the cover was designed to show a woman’s belly and part of an outfit decorated with beads. Maria Diaz used Plexiglas with rounded edges to frame her book, which featured pages in various shades of green, and added a flower sticker to the cover. Eeva Lindroos created a collage using fabric, lace and natural dyes with a gesso technique. Janelle Willis used organza and silk on her cover. Other projects for the course include a stab-bound book, an altered book, a paper enhancement workshop and a carousel/tunnel book. Swearington, who operates a studio in Asheville, N.C., said she has taught bookmaking courses at other colleges but enjoys working with art students at SCAD. “They get more experimental with the materials and pull their own interests into it,” she said. Although the class is offered through the fibers department, more than half of the students are enrolled in other programs, such as graphic design and photography. She said the diversity enhances the class. “The graphic design students already have amazing craftsmanship and a clean aesthetic,” she explained. “With fibers students, there’s a more tactile materiality.” Swearington also served as a visiting professor at SCAD during Summer 2006. She said her time at the college has renewed her energy for work in her studio. “I get charged just by being around students,” she said. “Everyone is inventive. I really try to get them to think about forms so they’re not just making plain old books. I want them to invest their selves into it.” To view Swearington’s work, visit www.jennythreads.net.  |
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