Artist Statement

I take apart old books, and use their pages to superimpose other printmaking processes, combining old, original information from the book with new information of my own. I then rebind them, so that the look like “real” library books. These books become kind of a Trojan Horse of the art world; a viewer might pick one and begin to browse, not knowing that it was “art” until well in the sequence. I often use litography, etching, relief printing, and typography; and combine these media with computer printing. Computer technology allows me a layering of imagery and marking, as well as a more transparant metaphore of time, visible through the “stacking” of technologies (new printing on old pages…). The computer “look” gives this layering of history a contemporary voice.

I have chosen to work in the format of books, because it affords a kind of interactivity and sequential building of imagery, yet retains a real “object” quality. The visual qualities of the layering of imagery and characteristic print technologies give the viewer a rich and compelling object to contemplate. The status between “found object” and “made object” becomes hazy, and the provenance of these books becomes a bit of a mystery. Science is alluded to, but the science seems exotic or outdated. I  encourage the participation of viewers with all my books: they are made to be seen sequentially, not just viewed as prints.

• Lane Hall (USA)