Why Say It Again?, 2013
Sarah Bodman, Bristol, UK
Another spine chiller from Sarah Bodman. Ostensibly this is a book of ‘dates’ with names and places and drinks noted down beneath a barely discernible glass ring mark. But this book has dark roots. It is the diary of an international poisoner. It is inspired by the historical case of a woman who practiced her delivery of Strychnine on many friends and family before getting it ‘right’. Her poison of choice, a bitter substance, was masked through strong or overly sweet drinks and foods, with meticulous note-taking of her attempts to formulate the correct amounts. The artist ponders how she would have administered her poison today? The appointments made, would she perhaps have been successful first time, or would she have needed to ask for another meeting?
Each page has been screenprinted with a clear water-based varnish, the stencils made from dipping glasses and cups into ink to make a mark, just as you would if you put a glass or cup onto a table. The marks, like the poison are barely discernible. The handwritten, colour appointments are in watercolour pencil. Once the job is done, the colourful notes can be wiped away, leaving only the first ‘date’ in pencil.
Edition of 20, September 2013. 140 x 140mm. Bound in charcoal grey bookcloth with hand-tooled title and ribbon ties by Rachel James of Bristol Bound Bookbinders.
£160 (plus P&P and insurance)