Mr. Rowe uses a small scalpel to
create his sculptures
Unwanted books consigned to the shelves of charity
shops have been rescued by a Cambridge bookseller and turned into works of art
for a literature festival.
Justin Rowe
started carving up the pages of old books as a hobby in 2010, using a small
rotating-bladed scalpel.
Some of his art
is now taking centre stage at the British Academy's free literature week
celebrations in London.
Mr. Rowe
"lifts" illustrations from "junk books" to create scenes
and illuminated installations.
His intricate
hobby began when he wanted to create a Christmas window display for the
Cambridge University Press bookshop where he works as a senior bookseller.
'Bizarre imagination'
"My wife
saw something about books being turned into art, and I thought, 'That looks a
bit difficult, but I'll give it a go.'"
Mr. Rowe uses everyday craft shop implements and
scours second-hand shops for the books.
"I never use anything that has any kind of
value. This really is art made out of other people's junk," he said.
Although Mr. Rowe attended art college, he studied
video art and said he had never tried sculpting before.
The inspiration comes either from illustrations within
the books - where Mr. Rowe cuts and lifts them into 3D scenes - or "from
my own sometimes bizarre imagination", he said.
They take anywhere from a few hours to a month to
create, and he admitted his wife was now beginning to comment on the numbers of
books and pages littering the house.
Some of his artwork is now on show as part of the
London Academy's celebrations of literature.
Mr. Rowe's Turning the Page exhibition includes a
one-off installation created for the academy from the pages of one book, with 3D
characters at the foot and birds flying out of the top.
The British Academy's
literature events are taking place until 24 May.
Source: BBC
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