Art Project: END PAPERS
END PAPERS
End Papers is an art project by Hannah Burr, a service, and a course. At the studio, End Papers is also a growing memorial library of finished End Papers books, made here or donated by the maker to be included in the collection. You can also donate a moderate collection of someone's personal papers for use in this and related art projects at the studio.
Each handmade book is a chance assemblage of one person’s papers bound together in no comprehensible order or orientation. The books express how the mind and thoughts of a loved one become closed after their death, indecipherable, and yet their marks and traces of their thinking remains. The books do not allow for a full reading of a single original page, but remain as mysterious, poetic fragments. The books are generally made from the discarded papers, rather than core documents like birth certificates or diplomas. There is often enough material to make an edition of two or more books from one person's papers. The books are 5.5 x 4.25” - a quarter of a standard sheet of paper, and between 1-2” thick depending on the materials provided. I offer the service of creating one or several books for others, who have papers of a loved one. In a phone call or a mailed survey, we work out the details, and the simple process for preparing and sending the materials. How the project began I have collected the discarded personal papers of individuals in my life who have passed away, finding the marks and traces of a person's thinking and communications to be sacred. These papers often end up in the recycling or trash bin at the end of a life. When my grandmother died, I asked for her papers and journals. I was left with a pile from my father’s life as well. When my friend Ron passed away, I was given his notes and Buddhist papers that his wife was sorting through. It was a way for me to process the loss, and to transform grief and papers that inspired ambivalence, guilt or other complicated emotions into something intentional, meaningful and new. These became the first formal End Papers books.. End Papers is a growing memorial library, a service, and a course. I make a book or an edition of books as a service for you, from the papers of your loved one who has passed on, or related to a similar type of loss. When I offer the course, you learn to hand sew your own End Papers book. You may donate your papers to the studio as well, to be bound and added to the memorial library or for other purposes depending on your wishes. |
Related Projects:
Contemporary Prayers to * [whatever works] Help me [ ], do the thing. Elements: a love letter to all things everywhere Making an End Papers book is a way ... to process loss, and to transform grief and papers that inspire ambivalence, guilt or other complicated emotions into something intentional, meaningful and new.
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FAQ for the END PAPERS Service How long does it take to have a finished book returned? Three month turnaround time from receipt of materials to posting the books back to you. If you need the book sooner, there is an expediting fee, but it can, in many cases, still be done. Which of my departed's papers are the best for this kind of book? Papers which show a person’s handwriting and a variety of types of papers: journal pages, lists, letters, drawings, sketches, math equations, and anything else you can imagine appreciating in book form - even if very mundane like a jotted grocery list or reciept. Also interesting and varied types of paper (lined, graph paper, etc.) make for an engaging finished book. Because these papers will be both folded, cut, and rendered only partly legible by the binding process. it's very important that you only send papers that you and your family would not mind letting go of in whole form. The papers I used for my grandmother's death books were discarded and unwanted by others in the family, and I then sifted through them for anything that was really unusual or special, to keep aside, or perhaps to frame. These did not go into the books. Please keep those aside and do not send them to me. How much does a death book cost? The set up and first book is $200, and each subsequent book from the papers is $100. Shipping is $30. So three books is $430 total. Two books is $330. One book is $230. Five books is $630. How many papers should I send? A stack 1" thick stack is more than enough for two books. A thinner book can be made from a smaller number of papers. How do I send the papers? We recommend a 9 x 12" envelope or a side or top loading medium box, depending on how many papers you have. Be sure not to fold the papers, and put in other dunnage so that they won't shift around during transport. What will the finished product look like? Like the others I have made, your End Papers books will be well bound, simple, hand sewn books. The example images you see are what they will look like. Covers are made from archival book board or in some cases, with notebook or book covers that are sent along with the book. I do not use glues, but cover each book with a colored canvas with your loved one's name and dates handwritten on the cover, cut to size with no sewing or glue. What about the extra papers? If you would like the extra papers that may be left over after the book(s) are made returned, I am happy to send them back to you. If you only want the books, I can either discard the papers in a simple fire process, or, if you would like to donate them to my studio, I will incorporate them into other projects, and make an additional End Papers book for the memorial library here, as you specify. Feel free to be in touch about any of these offerings. I am happy to discuss the details and possibilities with you. |