Megan Mattax

Emerge: ˈtak-tᵊl
hand bound altered books, thread, ink, epoxy-resin
6 x 6 in.

I am interested in knowledge. Specifically, how information is passed from one generation to the next. I use book-like forms created from discarded dictionaries as metaphor for the conduit of knowledge transference. These structures are shaped and transformed through the powerful and destructive elements of fire, water, and air. Construction and destruction of the pieces emphasize the brevity of their existence in an ever growing digital world. The amber-like preservation of the forms embody a new generation’s view of our archaic forms of knowledge.

The term “Perpetuate” means to preserve something of value from oblivion or extinction. The idea of perpetuation is a common thread running through this body of work. Although the books are destroyed and no longer functional they are in fact preserved in a transparent shroud of epoxy-resin that solicits an up close and intimate interaction with the forms that would otherwise be forgotten.

© Megan Mattax