You Seem So Far Away

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto

You Seem So Far Away is a collaborative work with Winnipeg, Manitoba artist Sue Gordon.

This book project is part sculpture, part monument to the sorrows and separations we experience in life. The birch covers are purposely substantial in weight and dimension in order to provide a solid, natural protection for the pages within. The images inside are fleeting and fragile. The text is simple and often repeated, forming a refrain. The pages are made with mono-prints, etchings and stencils. Each is coated in encaustic medium (beeswax, pigment and damar). Historically, beeswax was used as a symbol for memory, sacrifice and preservation.

The spine of the book is bound using the Coptic method, a strong binding structure developed in the fourth century. The eight sewing stations and heavy waxed linen thread create a strong backbone, holding the book together and providing layers of strength.

Materials include: birch log, mono-prints, etchings, stencils, encaustic medium, Coptic bound with waxed linen thread, Coptic end bands.