Cecilia Levy, an artist from Sweden, is into creating vintage-like bowls, cups and plates using old books and comics that no longer serve their purposes. Her unique creations have drawn the interest of art and design enthusiasts around the world.
Like many artists, Levy is also keen about innovating, but the idea to transform unwanted old books and comics - also known as scraps - into useful or decorative treasures was hatched when she learned how to create 3-D shapes. In trying to find her medium, Levy discovered that she can make use of old books. This interest started in 2009, and she has been creating more pieces ever since.
Levy has access to lot of old books since she used to be a bookbinder and graphic designer. Her creative process might make literary lovers cringe as she tears and cuts the pages into pieces before putting the pages back together. She lets her followers take a peek into her process in this Instagram post:
However, Levy doesn't simply destroy the books without careful thought. Levy also looks for interesting facets in the books, such as a passage or an interesting story, when she's turning these into something new. "The pages are reassembled into new objects. Eggshell thin, yet remarkably steady. The story lives on, but in a different shape," she said.
She also tries to incorporate the flaws of the book in her designs. If there are coffee stains, and other marks, or discoloration, she crafts the repurposed bowls, cups and plates to highlight these little details.
"Discoloration, spots and holes after binding, all contribute to the special character of the material," she shared. "I feel humbled by the traces of previous owners; dedications, scribbles in the margins, all signs of the passage of time."
Most of Levy's creations are meant for display purpose only, but she's giving old books new life when these items might otherwise be discarded and left to gather dust.
Today, Levy is sharing her craft and knowledge about 3-D paper art, bookbinding and box making by holding workshops. She also does commissioned work and art exhibits in and out of Sweden.
A photo posted by Konsthantverkarna (@konsthantverkarna) on Feb 4, 2016 at 1:48am PST
