New Leaves is a series highlighting acquisitions in Special Collections and Archives.
Many of us have a sturdy cloth book bag designed to hold voluminous tomes, but how many of us ever thought to make and bind a book specifically from the cloth bag itself?
Ever ready to rethink and reinvent the boundaries of the physical book and the types of messages conveyed within, a group of contemporary artists found inspiration in the graphic images printed on the side of sling bags, called jholas. These bags are commonly made by Ghandi ashram collectives in India using hand looms and hand-spun cotton cloth called, khadi. The imagery printed on the Indian bags reflects Ghandi’s ideas of non-violence and service to society and the very creation of the jhola bag helps the lowest wage earners earn a subsistence living.
In line with Ghandi’s principles, the concept of seva (service) was the guiding theme for the artist images that comprise the collective book project called, 5 Year Plan. Creating this limited edition book required the cooperation and service contributions of artists, village producers of khadi cloth, art lovers, consumers, and international relief workers. Multiple artists each contributed a design that depicts universal themes of humanity and compassion and also pays homage to the many anonymous workers in India who decorate these utilitarian totes but lack the luxury to ponder the larger meanings of art. Using a hand screen-print process, the many multi-color images were directly printed on the cloth pages. In keeping with the khadi theme, a cloth binding holds the book together.
The 5 Year Plan and a selection of other newly acquired Artists’ Books are on display on the 3rd floor of the Richardson Library just outside of Special Collections until Nov. 30, 2011.
For more information about this creation or other Fine Press and Artists Books, please contact Special Collections at archives@depaul.edu