Surveillance

I’m delighted to announce the release of my recent artists’ book that considers our privacy and freedom in a social and democratic world.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Surveillance, a tunnel book, 7 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches (18 x 13 x 4cm).

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Surveillance, a tunnel book, 7 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches (18 x 13 x 4cm).

« Surveillance » presents the direct result of a three-year collection of security warning sign photos. The key concept started in the summer of 2017 while traversing the US from Boise, Idaho, to Gatineau, Québec. I felt my every move being watched, while travelling across the country. I became more sensitive and aware of the level of surveillance forced upon me. It wasn't that the surveillance was personal, but universal, that presented a dilemma for me. However, it became apparent Google was tracking my digital journey as I researched online. I noticed advertisements from my latest searches as Google kept tabs with bread crumbs history and presented personalized promotional links on the screen. Who’s watching?

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo.

Generally, my book ideas come after being blitzed by a subject matter or a visual stimulus. I surprise myself by photographing a similar subject over and over again, till the collection of photos provide the incentive to research in depth what captured my attention.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo taken in San Antonio, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo taken in San Antonio, Texas.

Next, various scenarios are played by writing or reviewing photos. I operate with the five principal questions of strategy, which helps to clarify the idea. Habitually these questions are resolved through my thought processes in the early hours of the morning. Once the idea has permeated through, I gather all my photos into Photoshop and the fun begins. This is my tool to design. The software provides to me the freedom to experiment and photography as a medium inspires me.

Next comes the planning of content, size of the page, composition, colours, the materials, structure and binding of the book... It takes a while to digest all these components and start publishing. For me, the structure is what takes the longest to decide and implement.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding and electronics in Natalie Freed’s studio in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding and electronics in Natalie Freed’s studio in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A copy of the front cover for the tunnel book, laser cut by Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in Adams, Massachusetts.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A copy of the front cover for the tunnel book, laser cut by Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in Adams, Massachusetts.

« Surveillance » was one of the most complicated projects I created. I needed the help of other artists who were knowledgeable in their fields for the book to come together. While visiting Olivia Primanis at The Harry Ransom Center in 2018, the idea of adding electronics to the book came to mind. Olivia suggested Natalie Freed as a contact, who was giving a workshop at the Austin Book Arts Center at the time. Working with Natalie remained a delightful experience, and our meetings brought many possibilities to the forefront and solidified the type of binding. Another conversation during a studio visit with Thomas Parker Williams in Philadelphia, provided me the opportunity to communicate with Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in North Adams, Massachusetts. I could not fathom the idea of cutting the windows of the cover page and holes necessary to attach the camera and wires on the book board. Oh, I tried! But this job was better executed by a laser cutter.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The pages of the tunnel book printed and ready to assemble.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The pages of the tunnel book printed and ready to assemble.

Once the components and structure were in place, I concentrated on the five pages of the tunnel book. The fun continued in the world of Photoshop. Printing double sided layouts remain a lengthy process. Registration needs to be checked at least twice before printing the actual image. The printer settings, printer profiles, and the colour handling should be correctly chosen for the type paper used; printers are relatively complex, and they don’t always cooperate. When my Epson works smoothly, the images that roll out are beautiful with crisp and bright colours. I enjoy printing with an Epson Stylus Photo R3000; what you see is what you get — meaning — my images print exactly as they are perceived on the computer screen.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting to size the book board for the binding of Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting to size the book board for the binding of Surveillance.

The least fun of my projects is using glue! It's is all over the place. I’m lucky a book is completed without any glue on the cloth! Once the binding, the switch, the colophon, the cover image, the structure were all in place, the end was near. The pleasure of seeing all the components come together is fantastic. Now, I can invite the viewer into a world where personal freedom is infringed by the bombardment of warning signs. Once inside, the viewer’s privacy is usurped once more by a photo captured without permission.

When an artists’ book comes to completion in an effective way, the feeling of accomplishment is tremendous. I can say, done, and it feels great!

Since the project is complete my focus is now on promoting and distributing « Surveillance ». I hope you can take pleasure in the finished product. Enjoy!

As always, thanks for your interest by reading my blog posts.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Inside view.

Texas, Y'all!

Next stop over Austin, Texas. Since 2018, during my first visitation to the Austin Book Arts Center, the key members have been very welcoming and invited me to join in any event happening throughout while staying in the city.

Approaching Austin, I instantly communicated with Olivia Primanis and Mary Baughman, letting them know of my plans. A prompt response was received with pertinent information on the Third Thursday Series of ABAC for the month of November. Olivia Primanis presented “How will I bind this artists’ book? I couldn’t miss this guest artist talk!

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The cloth corner of the Austin Book Arts Center in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The cloth corner of the Austin Book Arts Center in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Austin Book Arts Center is filled with interesting equipment..

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Austin Book Arts Center is filled with interesting equipment..

The email naturally included a kind invitation for me to participate in the conversation and present my own artists’ books. I happily brought two books and took part in the discussion. The overall session was a hands-on exploration of a variety of materials and structures that were used through the centuries and how they affect how a book handles. Carefully choosing a particular structure for your specific project remains a key element for success of the « raison d’être » of the artists’ book.

This was a terrific evening enjoying the camaraderie of people who appreciate bindings and artists’ books. An incredibly popular session provided me the opportunity to encounter other members of the ABAC.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. (from left) Bob Bryant enjoys the enviable reputation of being a treasure for the center, Bob collects old books, and in 2017 decided to take classes, which permits him to repair his own collection; Mary Baughman, Olivia Pr…

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. (from left) Bob Bryant enjoys the enviable reputation of being a treasure for the center, Bob collects old books, and in 2017 decided to take classes, which permits him to repair his own collection; Mary Baughman, Olivia Primanis, Linda Anderson; Margaret Tenney is documenting the event and is as a board member; Sigrid Nama and Christopher Hynes an artist who creates assemblage art and paintings.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. One of Olivia Primanis' great pleasures is experiencing the way each binding structure effects how a book’s “mechanics’ work!”; Linda Anderson instructs book-arts classes for teachers at ABAC; Kathryn Cooksey Pew and Sigrid…

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. One of Olivia Primanis' great pleasures is experiencing the way each binding structure effects how a book’s “mechanics’ work!”; Linda Anderson instructs book-arts classes for teachers at ABAC; Kathryn Cooksey Pew and Sigrid Nama.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Linda Anderson, Christopher Hynes, Mathew De La Cruz, Beatrice Baldwin, Suzan O’Connor, and Mary Dines.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Linda Anderson, Christopher Hynes, Mathew De La Cruz, Beatrice Baldwin, Suzan O’Connor, and Mary Dines.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Exploration of a remarkable variety of structures.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Exploration of a remarkable variety of structures.

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. Myself, Bob Bryant, and Christopher Hynes’ artists' book “Threads of Life: Of Birds and Clouds.”

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. Myself, Bob Bryant, and Christopher Hynes’ artists' book “Threads of Life: Of Birds and Clouds.”

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Christopher Hynes, and Beatrice Baldwin. The accordion structure in the forefront is Christopher Hynes’ artist's book which was part of Olivia’s question for the talk, “which binding will c…

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Christopher Hynes, and Beatrice Baldwin. The accordion structure in the forefront is Christopher Hynes’ artist's book which was part of Olivia’s question for the talk, “which binding will create physical qualities that flow with the narrative of “Threads of Life: Of Birds and Clouds.”

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. Alan Stearman, myself, and Bob Bryant; Laura Agnew a wonderful volunteer; Olivia Primanis, Linda Anderson, Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Beatrice Baldwin, and Suzan O’Connor.

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. Alan Stearman, myself, and Bob Bryant; Laura Agnew a wonderful volunteer; Olivia Primanis, Linda Anderson, Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Beatrice Baldwin, and Suzan O’Connor.

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. (from center to left around the table back to the right) Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Christopher Hynes, Beatrice Baldwin, and Barbara Brown; Mary Baughman a board member; Lena Rogy, trained in book binding in Germany is…

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. (from center to left around the table back to the right) Kathryn Cooksey Pew, Sigrid Nama, Christopher Hynes, Beatrice Baldwin, and Barbara Brown; Mary Baughman a board member; Lena Rogy, trained in book binding in Germany is currently teaching workshops at ABAC; Andrew; Amanda Stevenson, Executive Director of ABAC; Alan Stearman an engineer who followed a couple of workshops, then helped to repair or improve equipment at ABAC; myself and Bob Bryant.

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. The talk brought me back to my books and their structure. My turn to talk about my books and the reason for structure; Mathew De La Cruz in the background.

© 2019 Margaret Tenney. The talk brought me back to my books and their structure. My turn to talk about my books and the reason for structure; Mathew De La Cruz in the background.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Alan walking by some of the equipment in the studio. He has devised a solution for the board shear of ABAC. The replacement counter weight was unbalanced and the board shear was a bit unsafe to use. Alan drilled into the re…

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Alan walking by some of the equipment in the studio. He has devised a solution for the board shear of ABAC. The replacement counter weight was unbalanced and the board shear was a bit unsafe to use. Alan drilled into the replacement counter weight to attach a threaded rod. He found a weight for a telescope that fits the threaded rod. This current rod allows the new weight to be placed where it balances the blade of the board shear. Alan equally found magnets that can be turned on and off. These magnets are used to secure the "fence" on the board shear.

If any of you are in the Austin area, visiting the Austin Book Arts Center it is worth the effort to properly engage with creative people experienced in book arts. If you have time, join a workshop in letterpress printing, bookbinding, papermaking, typography, or book history.

The Harry Ransom Center

The structure of the Harry Ransom Center building is alluring. My camera came out of my bag and I began shooting. I wanted to take photos of the etched glass images of the first-floor plazas—trying to recognize the images became a game!

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, right plaza etched glass of the Harry Ransom Center, Gloria Swanson, Edward Steichen, 1924

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, left plaza etched glass of the Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Storyboard from Gone with the Wind, 1939

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, left plaza etched glass of the Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Storyboard from Gone with the Wind, 1939

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, right plaza etched glass of the Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Horse in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge, ca 1886

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, right plaza etched glass of the Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Horse in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge, ca 1886

Olivia Primanis invited me to a second French lunch. I enjoyed dialoguing thoughts and ideas in my native tongue. French conversations stimulate a different rapport. This get-together gave me the chance to visit the Conservation Departments of the Harry Ransom Center.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, we started with the Book Conservation Lab where we met the week before for my presentation of my artists’ books

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, we started with the Book Conservation Lab where we met the week before for my presentation of my artists’ books

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Olivia Primanis working at her station in the Book Conservation Lab

Then we stepped into the Paper Conservation Lab where this year’s intern Kimberly Kwan was working. I met Ken Grant, Head of Paper Lab, Preservation and Conservation and Jane Boyd, Conservator of the Paper Lab.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Kimberly Kwan and Jane Boyd in the Paper Conservation Lab

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Ken Grant and Kimberly Kwan in the Paper Conservation Lab

The third lab was the Photograph Conservation, I found it interesting to see the equipment used by the staff to accomplish assignments.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Photograph Conservation Lab

Last, but not least, I visited the Preservation Lab, where I was introduced to the different collections that are maintained and kept. Genevieve Pierce, Preservation Technician, was informative and knowledgeable.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Genevieve Pierce in the Preservation Lab working on boxes for a specific collection

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Genevieve Pierce in the Preservation Lab working on boxes for a specific collection

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, the other side of the Preservation Lab

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, the other side of the Preservation Lab

This was a great exploration, I’m looking forward to perusing the Books Arts Collection in depth next year.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, my last gaze at the Harry Ransom Center before leaving Austin