I have just had a consultation with Corinna Krause in her purpose-built bookbinding workshop at Sollas Books. It was a well organised and inspiring space to be in and talk through ideas.
We discussed my plan to create a collaborative book bringing together the work I’ve been developing with the lovely participants from Craigard Day Care Centre. From the outset, Corinna was incredibly helpful — intuitive, thoughtful, and very much on the same wavelength about what would best honour the spirit of the work.
Together we decided on a concertina folded book format. The structure feels perfect — it will allow the work to unfold gently, giving each piece space while still holding everything together as one continuous visual conversation. It feels important that the book itself reflects the collaborative nature of the project: a flow of individual contributions connected within a shared structure.
This will truly be a collaboration on several levels — between the service users and myself through the making of the artwork, and then between Corinna and I in shaping how that work is held and presented. I’m especially excited about this partnership, as bookmaking is something I’ve always been drawn to. It feels like this could open up new ways of thinking about how I make and display my prints in the future.
I’ll be making a small edition of six books — each of us will have two copies — and I can’t wait to tell the group at next week’s workshop. It feels like a meaningful way to celebrate what we’re creating together.
Nicola Neate 