This is the blade of my knife.
Altered book assemblage
by
Frank Turek
The inside front cover is lined with a blue tweedy fabric. Pasted in the center of the fabric is a color illustration of an imagined Martian landscape. Attached to the top center of this picture is a card with the word “Specialist.” This card is on a hinge, and the reverse side is a line drawing of a pocket knife with the caption, “This is the blade of my knife.” Directly above this is a black-and-white illustration of two goldfish bowls. The frame of this book assemblage is covered with a reproduction of the William Hogarth print Gin Lane. The framed area is divided into two sections. The lower, larger section is backed with an etched medical illustration of the profile of a horse showing its muscles. Mounted over the torso of the horse is a collaged box with a lid. The lid is covered with a section of a medieval painting showing soldiers with shields and pikes tightly packed on a boat. The inside of the lid is a black-and-white photo looking down on two people in a boat at sea. The box contains five yellow dice and is backed with a black-and-white photo of three sheep. The ceiling of this lower section is an illustration of the interior structure of a zeppelin. The top section is fronted with an oval frame covered with text about air conditioning. The background of this top section is an etched reproduction of a painting of three character profiles by the Early Renaissance painter Simone Martini. Lying on the bottom is a pair of antique wireframe spectacles without their lenses. The top of the upper compartment contains a line graph chart.
Original book cover title:
Book cover used for this piece: The Story of America by Hendrik Van Loon
Some elements of this assemblage. Select one to find other altered books with the same.
armor, black and white photo, boat, dice, eyeglass, fish bowl, Gin Lane, goldfish, Hogarth, jackknife, medical illustration, muscles, sheep, shields, soldiers, zeppelin