Book Art is just that — visual art that’s been painted, drawn and/or glued on to the pages of an actual book, in this case some old tome on music theory. Of course, this zine is merely a reproduction of Emma Stronach’s originals, but it has been printed in full colour on recycled paper, representing a significant investment on her part. Ultimately, this effort is a curious case of DIY art which sags a bit under its own disjointedness. This happens in some of the half-hearted newspaper/comic-book clip-outs or the page of washed-out purple donning crayoned words of wisdom: “uncertainness caged black sky.” Yes, this is an interesting medley of taking-oneselftoo-seriously and not-taking-oneselfseriously-enough, and as such it is flatly uneven. Still, a glitzed-up anatomical illustration, some minimally-adorned sketches and an exercise in blue paint catch the reader’s eye, at least more so than most of the collage work. This is a promising concept, but it could have been executed a tad more consistently. (Michael Tau)
Art zine, Emma Stronach Volume One, emeraldarts1.etsy.com