Tags
artisan, bindery, bookbinder, bookbinding, bookbinding tool, χειροποίητη βιβλιοδεσία, Βιβλιοδεσία, Εργαλεία βιβλιοδεσίας, βιβλιοδέτης, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία, workspace
The bindery is a mysterious place. It is where the human intellect and psyche are encased in a three-dimensional artifact that is functional, long lasting and beautiful: the (bound) book.
If we just go by the aforementioned description, omitting the word “book”, then one would reasonably assume binderies are where some kind of wizard or alchemist practice their mystical arts.
Yet within a bindery you will not find smoking cauldrons and dark crystals but simple tools (and machines) that have been used and improved over endless generations, and yet through them something incredible is achieved. We might not realize it due to how common they’ve become, but books are extraordinary pieces of technology: proof of our capacity to collect, transform and use all sorts of materials to create conveniently sized arks of humanity’s thoughts, that don’t require power to function and can last for thousands of years.
As Arthur C. Clarke said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” …
Here I must make a shout-out to Maria Siorba, the talented photographer behind this photoshoot.
I am a (very) camera shy person. For what’s more I had a somewhat-vague-somewhat-specific idea of the feeling I wanted to be captured – and that idea had to be translated in two different versions, one of them for a future project. Maria not only made me feel at ease and even excited about the photoshoot but she also showed interest in my ideas and helped me explore them.
This is the 2nd time we’ve worked together and I wholeheartedly recommend getting in touch with her for your project.
Dimitri's Bookbinding corner 