Week 20: Map

a single morning and your fate...

   This week's book is a broadside haiku poem titled Map. It briefly describes the significance of each morning in the course of a lifetime.

   The poem was written in a morning this week, using haiku, a Japanese poetry technique dating back to the 16th century. Though there are differences between traditional Japanese haiku and modern haiku... as well as between the Japanese style and the western styles... this poem follows the tradition of 17 syllables; with 5 syllables on the first line, 7 syllables on the second line, and 5 syllables on the third line.

  For such a simple but significant topic, a special paper was needed. The paper was handmade from abaca and cotton by the artist several years ago during a half-month class at Penland School of Crafts. On that hot August day, the cotton and abaca were macerated and pulverized in the Holland paper beater for over 5 hours before the pulp was fine enough to be made into paper.  Since then, the paper has been in storage until needed for the right book project.

   On a second morning this week, the paper was marbled using the Japanese marbling technique, suminagashi. To create the marbled papers using suminagashi, colored inks were floated on a vat of water, then swirled and agitated by blowing on the water for a striated organic effect. Then, a piece of paper was gently laid atop the water's inked surface to transfer the inks onto the paper.

   A day later, when the ink was dried, the poem was letterpress printed using the Pearl press and 18-point Pacifica typeface and black ink.

   Finally, on the last day.. when the ink had dried...  a final embellishment of red silk embroidery was hand-sewn on the piece to indicate the growth, changes, and movements of a person's life.

This is the poem....

Each sunrise bringing

not just awakening Dawn

but the map of your fate.