ARTIST BOOK · 2017

Fantastic Fauna

Animal fables become a conversation between image and word.

Inspired by the tradition of animal fables, Fantastic Fauna pairs creatures drawn from medieval Islamic art with a bilingual Arabic–English text.

Images occupy the main book, while the words live in five miniature books attached by leather wrappings. Moving between the two asks the reader to make connections between animal and human characters, and between storytelling and social inequality.

Edition 40 + five proofs
Dimensions Book: 5 × 8 × 1.75 in; miniature books: 1.5 × 1.5 × 0.75 in
Materials Laser-cut Johannot paper, laser-engraved wooden boards, linen thread, leather
Binding Coptic binding with five miniature books