Kyle Clark, “Carbon Study No. 3”

Kyle Clark
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Carbon Study No. 3
2020
carbon, okawara, parchment, leather, blind tooling, linen thread
9.25 x 5.5 x 0.875″

Artist Statement

The artists’ books within Kyle Clark’s Carbon Study series seek to abstract form and function by blending the inherently disparate inner and outer layer of the book, challenging what it means to read, and questioning how much of the reading experience is generated by the book object or the critically engaged observer. The pages of ​Carbon Study No. 3​, set between boards and leather, are not intended to be read as one typically reads the written word. The reader is instead invited to discover nuance in tone and form created by the act of alteration and burning, ultimately drawing their own interpretations of meaning.

Themes that have emerged while producing this series have included humanity’s relationship to the natural world, ecological cycles, and continual transformation.

Carbon Study No. 3​ incorporates natural materials in a traditional book format. Prior to attaching its boards and covering with leather, seven holes were drilled through the text block made out of okawara Japanese paper. Several of these holes were filled with highly combustible materials and ignited. Following the ignition of the text block, boards were laced on, endbands were sewn, and the book was covered in leather. The completed binding was decorated with blind tooling and parchment inlays.