THIS ROOM IS MADE OF BOOKS
2021
THIS ROOM IS MADE OF BOOKS is a group of works tied to THIS PAPER IS MADE OF BOOKS, a master’s thesis, which you can read in full here. They are two halves of a whole, and act as proof of the theory and ideas developed in thesis writing.
Special thanks to George Walker, Shannon Gerard, OCADu, Larry Thompson, Kristen Wells Photography, and my family.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is to demonstrate value of the book as art and to highlight the power of narrative. To expose the archive of self, I pull from various theorists, ranging from Walter Fisher and Umberto Eco to Albert Camus and Julietta Singh: touching on a unique set of subjects creates a balanced space to ask new questions. This project pushes boundaries to prove a point, and reframes the book less as a literary form than a shifting cultural object. THIS PAPER IS MADE OF BOOKS is about many things, but is really about books, how we communicate and what we trust to hold that communication: not only the object but the oral tradition it intermingles with, too. I will argue that books are special and unique, and irreplaceable: the book is both symbol and object, and needs to be reintroduced as such to demonstrate its actual value. First, this project uses autoethnography as a research framework and a methodology, which allows me to look inwards and share outwards, respectively. Second, from both object and print perspective, bookmaking is another methodology and lens through which I observe the book; and last, keep your mind open to seeing books in places you wouldn’t expect. This is a paper made of books, and therefore is a book itself. This book is broken into parts, each referring and expanding on one key idea: the book as self and as archive. This book’s research is rooted in bookmaking and its evolving process, closely followed by Jewishness and its sharing nature. This book is balanced: it contains humour, seriousness, personal anecdotes, and theories; it is a clear refusal of obsolescence. This book embraces its reader, welcomes them, and invites them to participate. This book shares a softness, a sensitive and personal approach to a thesis, in a way that invites discussion, reflection, and welcomes all to the table.
