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The bee design, A.S.C. Rower ; art, April Vollmer

Artist's Book
1992 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This artist's book designed by A.S.C. Rower is a secret, self-contained object housed in an envelope that has been sealed inside a coating of beeswax. To read the book the wax must be sliced open, releasing 'The bee'.

nside is a sheet of Japanese Kitakata paper folded twice to create four pages, each of which holds one paragraph of text. One side of the paper is printed with April Vollmer's images of anthropomorphic bees, the other side shows a flower. When the paper is held up to the light the bees appear to have settled on the flower.

The text relates the tale of a mysterious bee, with Paul Oratofsy's neat, poetic story-telling evoking the flitting of the insect from place to place, never resting for long, seemingly erratic but with a hidden sense of purpose and meaning.

NAL copy is no. 18 in an edition of 100, signed by the author, artist and designer.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe bee design, A.S.C. Rower ; art, April Vollmer
Brief description
Artist's book, 'The bee', by Paul Oratofsky, New York, Flockophobic Press, 1992
Physical description
A twice-folded page of Japanese Kitakata paper is printed on one side with anthropomorphic bees which, when held to the light, have alighted onto a two-color flower showing through the other side.

The text is in four paragraphs, one to a page.

In an envelope printed with the colophon. The envelope is completely encased with beeswax.

Limited edition of 100 copies signed by author, artist and designer.

1 folded sheet (4 pages)
Dimensions
  • Height: 9cm
  • Width: 16cm
Summary
This artist's book designed by A.S.C. Rower is a secret, self-contained object housed in an envelope that has been sealed inside a coating of beeswax. To read the book the wax must be sliced open, releasing 'The bee'.

nside is a sheet of Japanese Kitakata paper folded twice to create four pages, each of which holds one paragraph of text. One side of the paper is printed with April Vollmer's images of anthropomorphic bees, the other side shows a flower. When the paper is held up to the light the bees appear to have settled on the flower.

The text relates the tale of a mysterious bee, with Paul Oratofsy's neat, poetic story-telling evoking the flitting of the insect from place to place, never resting for long, seemingly erratic but with a hidden sense of purpose and meaning.

NAL copy is no. 18 in an edition of 100, signed by the author, artist and designer.
Other number
X930073 - NAL Pressmark
Collection
Library number
38041993100460

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Record createdMarch 7, 2014
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