Abba

"A-Buncha-Book-Artists"

ASU Artist Book Coalition ABBA is an ASU student-run organization of interdisciplinary artists and writers working in the contemporary artist book movement. Our focus lies in making, exhibiting, and promoting artists' books as well as educating the public about the potential of the book as an art form. The organization consists of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and independent artists of all experience levels.

The bookmaking and printmaking processes explored by this group range from traditional (handset type, letterpress relief printing, linocut, screen printing, lithography, and intaglio) to innovative, such as the newer digital printing technologies (home computer) and the classic copy machine. The texts used in our members' books are original poetry and prose, and/or appropriated, found text or letterforms used as image or pattern. The binding structures that are utilized also range from historical (the Eastern accordion styles, 3rd century Ethiopian exposed Coptic stitch, and the Western codex) to entirely new structures invented to carry the specific content of the individual books. The artist controls all of the decision making from conception to completion.

The sequential nature of books allows the artist/writer to direct their visual/textual narrative and reveal concept and content through timing and pacing which is all incorporated into appropriate and inventive book forms. Artist's books can be all image, typographic experiments, or a combination of both. Sculptural books or altered book forms are displayed in their entirety as three-dimensional art objects.