UNSEEN Documentary
In this photographical documentary I decided to document the process of bookbinding from start to finish. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation it has provided more time to focus on this work and it also serves as a means of passing the time while being urged to stay indoors. I chose to document this process seeing as it can be said that the trade and workmanship of bookbinding by hand is a dying one due to the digital era we are currently in and also the automation of printing and binding machinery which does the job quicker and more efficiently.
This process although it can be viewed as such, nothing more and nothing less. Just a means of documenting an old-fashioned, repetitive and tedious task can also be viewed as a passage of time which for some is a crucial thing when being ‘locked up’ so to speak. If one does not occupy oneself then insanity would surely set in slowly but surely. Going from one batch of books to the next and then to the one after that and so on can keep a person grounded in harsh reality when any other options are non-existent or not so appealing. This also provides the opportunity to sharpen your skill and improve your work, paying close attention to any mistakes or areas that can be improved upon so that the next batch turns out even better, much like self-improvement. That aspect is one positive that can be taken from the current situation, rather than letting it overcome us, we use it to improve ourselves and find opportunities to come out stronger than when we entered.
In these photos I also wanted to capture the sense of solitude seeing as that has been an aspect of the ongoing situation. Personally, being left alone has never bothered me and I have come to enjoy my own company so this was not a problem for me. In fact when working on bookbinding I much prefer to be left alone, just me, my thought and sometimes some music if I don’t feel like listening to the world go by outside such as cars passing, birds chirping and the chime of church bells from time to time.
I also included my father in a couple shots due to the fact that he is the one passing on this trade to me which he has done for decades and truly mastered it. To further tie this process to the COVID-19 situation I included a shot which shows the first page of a book to be a page stating it contains general information about the virus, so as to suggest that this book is a compilation of data and knowledge gathered thus far. In another shot I also laid out letterpress blocks in the hotplate as if it were ready to guild a book, spelling out COVID-19. It appears to be slightly wonky as they were not orientated correctly but this was done to aid viewer perception due to the fact that if it was orientated correctly it would not be so easy to make it out until it is gilded onto a cover.
This process although it can be viewed as such, nothing more and nothing less. Just a means of documenting an old-fashioned, repetitive and tedious task can also be viewed as a passage of time which for some is a crucial thing when being ‘locked up’ so to speak. If one does not occupy oneself then insanity would surely set in slowly but surely. Going from one batch of books to the next and then to the one after that and so on can keep a person grounded in harsh reality when any other options are non-existent or not so appealing. This also provides the opportunity to sharpen your skill and improve your work, paying close attention to any mistakes or areas that can be improved upon so that the next batch turns out even better, much like self-improvement. That aspect is one positive that can be taken from the current situation, rather than letting it overcome us, we use it to improve ourselves and find opportunities to come out stronger than when we entered.
In these photos I also wanted to capture the sense of solitude seeing as that has been an aspect of the ongoing situation. Personally, being left alone has never bothered me and I have come to enjoy my own company so this was not a problem for me. In fact when working on bookbinding I much prefer to be left alone, just me, my thought and sometimes some music if I don’t feel like listening to the world go by outside such as cars passing, birds chirping and the chime of church bells from time to time.
I also included my father in a couple shots due to the fact that he is the one passing on this trade to me which he has done for decades and truly mastered it. To further tie this process to the COVID-19 situation I included a shot which shows the first page of a book to be a page stating it contains general information about the virus, so as to suggest that this book is a compilation of data and knowledge gathered thus far. In another shot I also laid out letterpress blocks in the hotplate as if it were ready to guild a book, spelling out COVID-19. It appears to be slightly wonky as they were not orientated correctly but this was done to aid viewer perception due to the fact that if it was orientated correctly it would not be so easy to make it out until it is gilded onto a cover.
