VV(5) - Coptic Optics 3

[David Morris]

http://colophon.com/gallery/cba/coptic/

"In an effort to express his ideas and preserve them in a written language, 
man has taken many giant steps in the art of bookmaking. One such crucial 
step was the advent of the sewn book developed around the first century A.D. 
Following the refinement of this great discovery, we arrive at several 
monasteries scattered around Northern Egypt. It was here that the monks of 
the Coptic Church perfected the sewing structure and the protective covers 
of their codex to what we know today as Coptic Binding.

The present exhibition and accompanying catalogue pay homage to those early 
bookmakers who introduced this important technique to the art of the book, a 
technique which was to become the model for all other book structures to 
come, and whose integrity of style and diversity of application have 
preserved a lasting presence in its original form until today. Using the 
works of scholars, book artists and student, this catalogue surveys the 
Coptic structure from a historical perspective and examines its contemporary 
application for artistic expression."
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