Altered Book of Me

I have been very excited about the “altered book” assignment. I have spent way too much time focused on how I was going to execute the ideas rolling in my mind. I should probably start at the beginning.

The Book

The book that represents a part of me that I do not like was Idiot’s Guide to Personal Finance. I chose this book because even though I know how to save money and make good decisions, I do the opposite. I am continually broke and my bills keep increasing. I’m a financial failure. I admit it.

The Concept

During the “50 What if…’s” assignment I fell in love with the idea of burning my book and sending the ashes to have a diamond made. It would have only cost me $3000 (see why I’m a financial idiot?) But I don’t have $3000 at the moment so I had to forgo that option.

The other idea I had that really resonated with me was to make a Mӧbius strip with my book. I had originally thought about taking the pages and making a paper machete Mӧbius strip. But that seemed uninspired and not terribly creative.  I kept thinking about the diamond idea. It led to the decision to make a pendant in the shape of the Mӧbius strip with the ashes casted in resin as a ball that rolls on the surface.

The Preparation

It should be said that this pendant has cost me quite a pretty penny. It wasn’t as expensive as the diamond but it wasn’t cheap. I purchased silver sheets, two part resin, silicon mold, silver solder, a blow torch…and other paraphernalia. I watched videos and tutorials until I felt like I was an expert myself… that was a lie.

The Failures

It's amazing to me how even with all the preparation and effort I put into learning how to accomplish my proposed project, it all falls to shit. It just goes to show that the best laid plans to not guarantee success.

I have a beautiful silver pendant ready to be soldered. Unfortunately I decided to save a few dollars and bought a simple silver solder that said I wouldn’t need flux…they lied. I will have to revisit this silver pendant this summer because I really want it for my personal reasons. But because this failure, I had to reevaluate my approach.

The Rebound

In my reevaluation I realized I have in my possession what I need to create an interesting altered book. I have still burned my book and will be utilizing the ashes. But instead of making a small ball of resin to roll on the surface of the silver, the entire Mӧbius strip will be the ashes in the resin. I, again, am excited after the mortal blow to my confidence my previous failure dealt to my confidence.

The New Approach

The process was an eye opener and now I want to dabble more in silicon mold making. I used polymer clay to form the shape I wanted to cast my resin in. I am not a proficient sculptor so it has issues but I’m okay with it. I made a silicon mold from the baked clay. From there I mixed the two part resin, added the ashes (and some blue dye because I like blue.)

The Reason Behind It All

Why would a Mӧbius strip have meaning to me? Everything that I am, Everything I’ve seen, Everything I’ve done, and Everywhere I’ve been, it’s all a part of who I am and nothing can or will change it. I can pull inspiration from my past because it is a part of me. No matter how long it’s been it will always be a part of me. Live is not linear. Time is perceived that way but there really isn’t an end.

How I referenced our past assignments-

I have created a box (not very well) and on that box, I have doodled references to the assignments on the sides. The box is made of clear acrylic because I want to be able to share myself with others but I want to protect myself at the same time. There is no lid because I don’t want to be contained to a small space. I don’t want to be boxed away with preconceived notions of who or what I should be. I want to be able to escape those labels.

My final result was not as expected. It was flawed, just like me. There are pits and scars. There is some polish but the polish is spotty. Just like me.

ps. pictures will be added tonight.