England-based artist Alexander Korzer-Robinson carves into antiquated books to create eclectic book sculptures rich with narrative. We’ve seen plenty of book sculptures over the past few years, but what separates Korzer-Robinson’s work is that he constructs a wild medley of images all found within their respective books, composed in their original position. Working primarily with encyclopedias, the artist is given the a wide variety of subjects in any given book.
Korzer-Robinson slices the bountiful pages of knowledge, carefully choosing the images to keep and which of the various pictures to discard in his layered collages. The artist says, “By using pre-existing media as a starting point, certain boundaries are set by the material, which I aim to transform through my process. Thus, an encyclopedia can become a window into an alternate world, much like lived reality becomes its alternate in remembered experience. These books, having been stripped of their utilitarian value by the passage of time, regain new purpose. They are no longer tools to learn about the world, but rather a means to gain insight about oneself.”
Top photo: cut East German encyclopedia, 1962
Larousse Du Xxe Siecle 4
cut French encyclopedia, 1931
Nouveau Larousse Illustre, Vol. 4
cut French encyclopedia, 1903
Larousse Universel Vol. I
cut antiquarian encyclopedia, 1926
Weep Not, My Wanton
cut 19th century children’s book
Red Giant
cut East German encyclopedia, 1962
Nouveau Larousse Illustre, Vol. 3
cut French encyclopedia, 1903
Nouveau Larousse Illustre, Vol 5
cut French encyclopedia, 1903
The Boy’s Own Annual
cut 19th century children’s book, 1890
Childhood Pattern V
cut 19th century children’s book
Larousse Universel, Vol. 2
cut French encyclopedia, 1926
Nouveau Larousse Illustre, Vol. 7
cut French encyclopedia, 1903