Julia Borissova

Julia Borissova

Libretto

First Edition of 105 signed and numbered copies
105 x 170 mm  
Leporello binding
Handmade
38 pages / 21 pictures
2016

From the Artist:

"This book reflects my interest in the relationship between photography and theater as a space for representation.

Bringing together my own pictures and photos from an unknown archive I created LIBRETTO as a construct of several pieces of real and imaginary life of someone through the imitation of the theatrical stage.

This is not a book in the conventional sense - it is an object to interact and examine, it is an installation. The combination of different layouts in my book can be understood as various mise-en-scenes where multiple reference points — the history of country, private archive, theater and ballet — intersect.

I offer everyone the opportunity to take on the role of a spectator so as to establish an intimate link with the images and immerse oneself into the own experience."

Julia Borissova has created a small gem titled “Libretto”.

hen I first opened the package and saw the red velvet book cover, my heart was filled with a warm feeling inside. It made me happy and it was a great surprise to feel the texture of the book before you even open it. The book is closed with a delicate, hand-crafted ribbon that hold the book gently.  When you open it, you feel as if you are opening a secret book, something that is suppose to be just between you and it’s creator.

pening the book was the second surprise. Filled with cut out images and silhouettes with a double sided binding created a beautiful spectacle of a book. Each page was carefully cut and assembled which really made the whole experience special. It s whimsical and fun book that really does create a reading experience.

The book has a gentle felling to it, you can see how each page was carefully crafted by the artist, which gives the book that elevated feeling of something that is precious not only o the artist, but also to you now.  

The accordion binding allowed Julia to create a unique narrative with in the book’s pages. There is a linear narrative yet it is also broken by the cut outs and the binding method, you find yourself going in and out of that main timeline and create your own little compositions with in the book. The cut out silhouettes create a depth inside the pages, creating a story with in a story. ‘

It’s a very poetic and smart book as it utilizes the book’s characteristic and unique features to the maximum, allowing the viewer to engage with it in various ways.

hen I saw that Julia was talking about the Theater and this notion of telling a story in the book as if it was a stage, tied the book together for me. Each image stands by itself but is also a part of this larger accordion time line – as characters move in and out and the ‘sets’ are intertwined together. The book is indeed theatrical as it uses it’s pages as sets to tell the story- you feel the characters and you feel how each page is trying to create that bubble if illusion.

The book functions, on one side of it, as a beautiful and in some point also slightly sad story of this woman, which I can only assume, is the main character. On the other side it is more vibrant and colorful which creates in interesting dissonance between the two sides.

What I enjoy in the book is the use of archive images but in a new way. The old images intertwine with a new story that Julia is creating. This imaginary world that Julia created is a petite and delicate gem where we can enjoy the playfulness of her hand crafted story.

Please consider getting a copy of this beauty for yourself you won’t regret it.

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