Who even uses a paper map anymore? I repurposed pages from the Road Atlas of Europe, which was my saving grace when I lived in Germany in pre-internet/smartphone days.
To create this piece, I shredded pages of the map by hand with a utility knife. Then I tied each strip of of the map, by hand, to this beautiful sheet of handmade paper. The frame was quite a challenge, with a big question being, behind glass or not?
I opted for keeping the piece out in the open, as this emphasizes the delicate nature of the paper and the textures of the free-falling strips. Knowing that someone, some day may want to frame this behind glass, I chose to sew the handmade (and very delicate) paper to the foam-core support, rather than gluing it. The physical act of sewing was a challenge, aided by propping up the fame on two boxes so that I could work over and under without flipping it over. The handmade paper is so delicate, there was no possibility of using tape without damaging it.
As a fun side note, that’s my grandmother Johanna’s thimble to assist with the sewing.
