Don Widmer's Flag Book
When is it time to bring in the laser cutter?
When your project is made up of more tiny rectangles then you can count.
In this post, I share with you Don Widmer's laser cut and letterpress flag book, which explores visual perception through shifting panels of intricately cut shapes.
Laser Cutting
While the final effect of the hand-bound pieces is mesmerizing, as laser cutting goes this project was fairly straightforward. Don created the intricate laser-ready file and I registered the paper and monitored the machine as it cut the subtle geometric pattern.
This is an example of a project that was very time consuming to laser cut but a real time-saver in comparison to hand cutting.
In Don's words:
Darkness and Light: Words of Etty Hillesum is an artist flag book inspired by the writings of Dutch intellectual and mystic Etty Hillesum. Her unique voice reveals the capacity of the human spirit to embrace life with compassion in the midst of dire circumstances. She died at Auschwitz. The visual imagery is inspired by the geometric paintings of Julian Stanczak which appear to shimmer with rhythmic movement and light.
The text of the book was letterpress printed at Spudnik Press in Chicago. The black "flags" have been laser cut in a subtle changing geometric pattern. When the book is expanded, the criss-crossing flags create shifting effects with light and shadow.
Don Widmer, Darkness and Light: Words of Etty Hillesum.
Hand-bound, letterpress printed and laser cut flag book, 12" x 6.75" (expands to 31"). Edition of 5.
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