Less is Less – Opposite the Bookframe

Traditional paper books were once the primary and most efficient means of publishing large amounts of information; they’ve since given way to various other mediums. Specifically in delivering written language, digital publications have begun filling that once exclusive role. Where the written (or drawn) content remains, the pages and bindings have begun to fall away and so adorn our reading less and less with their pleasant and familiar form.

A screen – or a less complicated pane of glass – might then best describe the opposite aesthetic to an artwork frame crafted out of an old and dusty book. (And maybe it’s the pervasiveness of screens that made the old bookshelf aesthetic appeal to my wife and I all the more.)

Driven by a cultural fascination with minimalism, we see a lot of photo frames that do all they can to pretend they’re not there. They leave the photo itself to be all the focus (which, sure, makes sense) yet do nothing to compliment the featured image by adding to the scene. As such, I can hardly call these frames “frames” – for their lack of framing – and favor a blander title like “image holder”.

Another form of this ‘frameless’ take might be changing the nature of the featured image entirely. Versus a common print on paper or canvas, holographic frames laser cut a desired image into the glass (crystal) itself so as to appear floating midair; the clarity and depth is impressive. These decorations tend to do just that – decorate – and stand alone or in small company within the room. They’re, therefore, more a novelty than a theme of a given space.

Finally, replacing a printed image for a screen entirely, modern digital photo frames have been finding their place more and more commonly in our homes. Speaking from experience, they’re a great means of including family members in all the happenings of life as photos can be uploaded seemingly endlessly and at will. An ever-changing image within the same frame contributes a different sort of character to the piece as well, not to mention a noticeable glow since it is a digital screen.

While I certainly won’t be adding a screen to my bookframe project, I could see some appeal in the floating image approach of the former examples. Instead of only hollowing the book’s cover out, I could hollow through entirely and suspend artwork between two panes of glass just like the floating frames do. This way, there’s still a decorative “frame” in the hollowed book while carrying elements of a modern approach.

The problem I see with this, however, is supporting the book and pages as a metal bracket is meant to serve that purpose which is nearly the size of the entire back cover. That bracket would need ‘hollowed’ as well or an entirely different supporting method used.

For the sake of this upcycle project, I don’t see myself incorporating any of these opposite aesthetic designs into mine. However, I may very well consider hollowing another book out in the future and creating a floating image frame within it. Smaller books (and smaller images) would be much easier to support than the large atlas I’m currently using. Worth keeping an eye out for some old books conducive to the new idea.

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