Thread Ensemble a collaborative poetry and bookmaking project
During three weeks in August of 2014, two Monmouth College faculty members and six students worked together to create an edition of twelve hand-printed, hand-bound books of original poetry and images. This project was a Monmouth College SOfIA Project. The book is comprised of twelve poems (at least one by each student and two that were written collaboratively), two images, a title page, a table on contents, and a colophon. This number of printed pages required the creation of nineteen photo-etching plates that were hand wiped and printed on Fabriano paper then bound between two fabric-covered bookboards using waxed linen thread and a coptic stitch binding technique.
In October, the students presented an exhibition of the printed poems and the process of creating the books. The exhibition opened with a poetry reading and a ceremony where one copy of the book was presented to Rick Sayer, Head Librarian of Monmouth College's Hewes Library, so that it could be added to the library's special collections.
These image galleries present many steps of the process of composing and editing the poems, organizing and designing the layout of the pages, printing and binding the book, and the final exhibition.
(Many of these photos were taken by David Wright - sometimes on his phone...) Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.