Canticle (2008)
Altered book assemblage
by
Frank Turek
The background of the inside cover is a plum-colored plaid wallpaper pattern. Centered on this background, arranged in a grid, are four collaged tiles featuring black-and-white illustrations of examples of Russian costumes. Beneath each tile is a found caption cut from a grammar primer. The frame is covered with a green tinted black-and-white photograph of a man and a woman from a 50s pulp detective magazine. The bottom of the frame it’s covered with a color photograph of a scenic beach-side residence. The framed area is divided into two sections. In the bottom section the background is a black-and-white photograph of a factory interior as seen looking down an aisle with workers on either side. Centered atop this photo, is a silver scarab. Below is a color illustration of a brown moth. Three white rocks are placed on top of the moth picture. In the top section the background is a color illustration of a back yard at night with boys in winter coats playing with a dog. In front of this picture sitting on a shelf is an orange toy plastic cow and an orange plastic dog with a small grey plastic human head in between. The side panels of this sections are comprised of lists of words, and the top panel is a paragraph from a book, describing a butcher’s cutting techniques. The signature, title, and date are on top left-hand side of the frame.
Original book cover title:
Book cover used for this piece: A Lady Named Lou by Donald Henderson Clarke
Some elements of this assemblage. Select one to find other altered books with the same.
1950s, butcher, collaged tiles, color photo, cow, detective magazine, dog, factory workers, grammar primer, green, grey head, moth, plaid, plastic figures, plum, primer, Russian costume, scarab, scenic, toy, wallpaper pattern, white rocks