EXQUISITE CORPSE CODEX
The word codex contains senses of history and culture. To made the exquisite corpse codex, I aimed at using the most original way to create codex but define it with a absolutely new meaning. With wood engraving, I did research on the most fitted wood and selected walnut wood at last. The dark color and loose texture with fresh smelling of walnut wood makes it the best material to engrave. The selection of lamb leather takes the book sense of history when viewers first look at it and the texture of leather is so comfortable that pushes people walk closer and touch it. Rice papers were also the main materials using in this book, the color of rice papers will change faster than most of other paper as time goes by because of its raw materials. So, if people put the book for a period of time and open it again, the old color of rice paper shows how time changes on this book. As for the size, the book was cut in to ratio of 3:4 (6 inches* 8 inches) which is the perfect proportion for a handheld book that can hold by one hand. All the symbols in the book were originally from traditional Chinese farmers’ painting, the most rural painting shows history and culture. All rice paper used for printing were stick to a bristol paper on the back in order to make the printing seems like is displaying in the book. Without using the engraving printing pigments, I selected traditional Chinese painting pigments that fits rice paper extremely well.
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The packing of the book was made of traditional rice paper which can both take a feeling of history to the book and protect the leather cover in a suitable way.
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This is the general out look of codex book’s leather cover. The cover was handmade by one layer of lamb leather which provided the book a sense of history. Following the basic idea of making this codex book, the leather cover mainly focus on comfortable touch feeling. The smooth feeling of the cover and suitable size (3:4)makes the book even more attractive.
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Two wood boxes used for containing engraving woods were cut with four sharp angles on four corners. The square shape makes the re-designed codex looks closer to a real book.
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The thickness of the book let it looks more closer to a real old book. The bristol papers(printing pages) were cut into the same size with wood boxes.
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In this photo, it shows the first page of the codex book. The printing(from engraving) of lotus (traditional plants in my hometown) provides viewers a feeling of vital and peaceful. It is the symbol that creates the first feeling of the whole story which will show a big contrast with the last photo of the book.
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The codex on this page is symbol of “me” holding a fake homework in a nice day. The using of bright color helps to set the setting of the book in a vital way.
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The engraving of old woman represents the teacher in story. By using the contrast of cool and warm tone, the personality of teacher in the story is illustrated directly. The details of eyebrows and eyes take the teacher’s expression more real.
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Engraving of woods were cut into perfect shape containing in the book. The engraving of wood in this photo shows one man facing toward right and the wood behind this one shows one man facing toward another direction. The facing direction shows the last scene in the story when “I” was broke up with “my boyfriend”.
- Mainly Material Using- Lamb leather, plywood, walnut wood, burin, traditional Chinese painting pigments, rice paper, etc.
EXQUISITE CORPSE
It was a nice weather that morning when I did not finish my biology homework. I made a excuse to the teacher that I left the homework at home and promised her handing in the homework in the afternoon. I went to the print center and requested to print some papers written in Chinese and the outlooking was similar as the biology book. Since my teacher did not understand Chinese, she accepted the homework but I felt guilty myself. I wanted to tell her the truth but didn’t. I gave her the actual homework the next day but still felt bad whenever I reminded this memory.
When my teacher gave my first homework back with a big A+ on the top of the page. I feel shameful, even though my classmates were so jealous of me. No one knew how I copied and pasted in front ofd my desk. The truth was I always put variety of books on my desk, but never read more than 5 pages of them. I pretended I was a knowledgeable person. I liked the feeling that people come into my room and attracted by my books. They were able to point out that I have something inside. I always went to bookstore and purchased some best selling books without reading the titles. I knew everything could make me look better but without decoration, I was a unknown self, an empty human body.
I did’t have a soul, nothing kept me alive.
The only thing that I had, him, is gone for good.
I didn’t exist in this world without hime. Whenever I went to bed, I felt like I was going to die tomorrow.
Why did he leave me?
Why would he ever do that?
I did not get it. He said he was going to stay with me forever by my side no matter what happened.
He was such a liar.
I hated him.
Hates for him was growing every second. It was expanding like an universe. I did not exist in this world anymore. I was just a dead person without a soul. I was just an empty human body.
