For Prophets, Seers and Sages, hardbound artist’s book, 2021.
I decided to create an artist’s book of the compendium of my writing over 2021. In keeping with the idea of sacred, gnostic knowledge – akin to a witch’s Book of Shadows, or a monk’s Book of Hours – I decided to typewrite and hand bind only one copy of the text.
In this way; it reminds me of the books I studied at New College when I was auditing a course on Paganism and Christianity in the Roman Empire at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity. In doing so, I would go the library and be presented with books that only one copy exists of – and you would sit in a little room wearing white cotton gloves to study them. They became “more” than books – not necessarily that they were simply valuable because of their age or who wrote them, but rather because only one copy of this knowledge existed and thus elevated the book to something “more than” a mere book.
Ideally, if the shows could be physical, this copy of a book (and maybe it’s twin sister – I have more to learn and I’m sure in another couple of months will likely have more to write!) would sit on a podium, preferably one made of North East Coast driftwood, and the viewing audience would be invited to put on a pair of cotton gloves and explore the writings and illustrations as I did with the codex in New College library.
The title of the piece came from the Tyrannosaurus Rex album I listened to on repeat whilst writing and binding it, which in turn Bolan lifted from the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien – the book is dedicated to those that might make themselves into modern day prophets, seers and sages by rejecting modernity and returning to old practices.
