For a home time, 29 March 2020
To Toni, Nicola and Bianca’s invitation, I initially thought of responding with the design of a crib but, since it was near Easter, I decided to make a notebook.
One of those notebooks that serve to collect everything from thoughts to drawings; very useful, then, in the times (of covid 19) when finding an open stationery shop is almost impossible.
The constructed object responds to a need, a need, too far from being considered a work of art. Rather an exercise in patience, where imperfection and slowness are accepted again – nothing less than beautiful.
Instructions
Necessary material:
paper (even recycled)
cardboard (as a shoebox or pasta)
scissors or cutter
needle
tread
glue
ruler
Overlap and fold 5 or 6 sheets of paper in half. Mark the stitch (as shown in the drawing) of the seam on the edge. Sew: enter the hole A on the left and leave a piece of thread which will then be tied with a B-knot.
Press the spine with a ruler on the sewn sheets.
For the cover:
cut two cards of the same size as the sheets plus 0.5 cm. on three sides.
Choose a colorful paper for the cover or color it to as you please. The size corresponds to the two cartons plus 2 cm. on ALL sides and 0.5 cm. in the middle between the two cartons.
Spread the glue, with a brush, over the entire surface of the cover starting from the centre and arrange the cartons.
Fold the paper (the 2 cm. of the edge) on the cartons after cutting the four corners – not flush with the cardboard.
Turn the cover with the glued cartons and press firmly, so that the colorful paper does not create bubbles.
Now take your sheet of paper. Spread the glue on the first page, taking care to cover the others with a sheet of paper beforehand.
Glue it to the left side of the paperboard with the other pages up.
Put a strip of paper in the middle to reinforce the rib (optional).
Do the same operation with the last page.
Remember to put a sheet of paper so as not to smudge the others with glue. Put the notebook under some weights (boring books) and if you don’t have them – better – a vocabulary is enough, and leave it for one day. After that your notebook is ready.
P.S. The instructions to make a notebook vary according to the size and quantity of sheets. If there are more than one booklet, the binding changes. I’m sure everyone will apply variations that will result from practice and experience, all of which are valid.
GOOD WORK
Bio
Meri Gorni lives and works in Paderno Dugnano. She studied Philosophy At the Università Statale Milan. Meri Gorni writes and draws. When she writes she talks about paintings, drawings and other images. In her drawings, photographs and videos or a concept related to reading and writing because drawing and writing for her have the same essence. For over 20 years she has been committed to building a visual vocabulary where each word corresponds to a video. Her books are in the Martano collection at the J.Watson Library Metropolitan Museum New York, as Well as the collection Della Garzia at the Mart of Rovereto. She has published: Cinquantanove ricette d’autore, Edizioni L’Obliquo Brescia, 2000;
Incontro con artisti e poeti, Il Ramo d’oro Trieste 2002;
Libro, Artandgallery, Milan 2004; A mio padre, Campanotto Editore, 2009;
Ti mando, come promesso, il mio ritratto, Archivio di Nuova Scrittura, Milano 2009;
Trilogia dell’attesa, Manni Editore, 2012; Come promesso, Corraini Edizioni, 2013;
A tavola, sedizioni editore, 2015; Debito d’amore, Campanotto Editore, 2017.Among the solo exhibitions: Nuova Galleria Morone, Milan;
Palazzo Morando,Milan; Museum of Contemporary Art Villa Croce, Genoa;
Circolo Filologico, Milan; Galleria Martano, Turin; PAV Museum, Berchidda;
Kunst Meran Arte, Merano; Fondazione Mudima, Milan;
Studio Tommaseo, Trieste; Placentia Gallery, Piacenza; Salvatore & Caroline Ala; Milan, Neon, Bologna; Maria Cilena Gallery, Milan.
