The Secret Life of Books

A new exhibit at Rider University, ‘Altered Books: Spine Bending Thrillers,’ shows the myriad ways a book can become a captivating work of art.

By: Jim Boyle

In "Scarlet Revision," Princeton resident Sarah Stengle has taken the original book from which the opera Carmen is based and painted a red block on every page.

   Consider the life of a book. After its purchase from the store, it may spend weeks, months or an eternity before it is read. When finished, when the owner has thumbed through it, taking in the words, it may go back on the shelf with its buddies, waiting to be read again. Perhaps it will be passed along, starting its life anew.
   Not much to it, really. Of course, the stories or information stored within the pages can be extremely exciting, but the actual may not be. It doesn’t get plugged in, turned on or recharged. There are no flashing lights or beeping or blooping.
   A new exhibit at Rider University shows the myriad ways a book can become a captivating work of art. Altered Books: Spine Bending Thrillers runs Feb. 6-March 6 at the school’s art gallery in the student center.
   "It deals with artists who take books that have their own construction," says Harry Naar, professor of fine arts and director of the art gallery. "They’ll take books like the phone book, a textbook, novel or even the Bible and change their form. They can change it by painting and collaging onto the pages, which is the more traditional way. Some artists will change the size and shape by pulling the pages apart and reconfiguring them."
   The show is part of Mr. Naar’s ongoing efforts to keep the Rider University art gallery one of the top exhibition spaces in the area. The Lawrenceville resident has also included a workshop led by Beth Cote, one of the 14 selected artists, as well as a free color catalog that supplements the exhibition.
   A member of the faculty for more than 20 years, Mr. Naar used to put together an exhibition a month, but that proved to be too much work. Now, he handles two major shows a semester, getting help from students in his gallery management class.

"I look for books that are already ruined, books without covers. If it’s a good book, I won’t touch it," says Ms. Stengle. Above, "Romance."

   "The class is open to anybody in the university," he says. "I teach what goes into hanging an exhibition. It also looks at all the behind-the-scenes stuff, such as dealing with the press and working with a budget. For this show, I had my students choose some of the pieces that would be included."
   While many selections are the more conventional paintings and collages, there are some artists who have taken a more three-dimensional approach. Byron Clercx took pages and reformed them into the handle of a saw. Pamela Paulsrud created pebbles and stones out of a book.
   One of the more laborious undertakings was by Doug Beube. He folded individual pages from romance and mystery novels and placed them side by side. No glue is used to hold them together, merely gravity. The completed piece is an 8-foot continuous track that, according to the artist’s statement, represents the body’s gastro-intestinal system.
   "The show is significant because it takes a stab at identifying the value of the book," says Mr. Naar. "It’s also a way to try and redeem the book."
   "With the advent of computers and the Internet, a book no longer carries the importance as a source of information," says Sarah Stengle, one of the featured artists. "This exhibit is a way of showing what a visual object the book can be. The art of the book will be on the rise."
   The Princeton resident has three selections included in the show, "Rubaiyat," "Romance" and "Scarlet Revision," one of her earliest altered books. It is a minimalist piece that takes the original French novel that inspired the opera Carmen and is painted with red ink on every page.
   Ms. Stengle first started studying art at age 13 while living in Pennsylvania. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, she went on to get her master’s in 1988 at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. It wasn’t until 1998 that she started seeing books as a possible canvas.
   "Reluctantly and slowly I got into altered books," says Ms. Stengle. "In ’95 or ’96 I did some sequential drawings, and people kept telling me they would be great as books. The drawings had nothing to do with books. I got annoyed about it. Of course, now I see the beauty that everybody was talking about.
   "I love books. I love the intimacy and duration of time spent with a book. So many things are so fast now. It’s good to slow down and focus on a book. And they’re beautiful as objects themselves."
   Ms. Stengle doesn’t necessarily look for specific books to alter. She is always searching for books to add to her collection, and when she gets the urge, she will begin the process.
   "I go to state auctions and used bookstores," she says. "I have a library of stuff I shuffle through. I look for books that are already ruined, books without covers. If it’s a good book, I won’t touch it."
Altered Books: Spine Bending Thrillers runs at Rider University Art Gallery, Student Center, Second Floor, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, Feb. 6-March 6. Gallery hours: Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m. The artist workshop runs Feb. 8-9. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call (609) 896-5033.