The art of deconstructing a book • Paeony Lewis
A practical guide to gardening behind the post-war fence Deconstructed book by Paeony Lewis Whilst exploring the theme of suburban territory, I experimented with deconstructing books. Although initially it may feel wrong to cut up a published book, in reality it is another form of recycling, using ‘found objects’ to create art. Experimenting with a discarded textbook At Oxfam, I discovered a 1947 British gardening book that with post-war fervour stressed the physical and chemical control of the garden against alien interlopers (including nature). Using the synergy of words and images found solely within the book, I emphasised the controlling nature of gardening, and then displayed the deconstructed book on a stand representing locally-observed territory. Unearthed at Oxfam for about £1 There was a lot of advance planning as I would only be using the contents of the book. Unfortunately, I discovered that post-war printing (1947), when there were still p
