Artists’ Books

1993 - 1999

You Are What You See

A trilogy based on the Library of Mary Hambidge

1993 | Nexus Press

During a residency at the Hambidge Center I became aware of the vast and fascinating library in Mary Hambidge’s house, which, at that time, was a residence/studio for fellows. There were approximately 3,000 books—dating from 1775 to the 1960s—relating to art, architecture, crafts, dance, history, aesthetics, health, religions, and dynamic symmetry. When I returned for another residency, I made 2,500 electrostatic copies of images and text from these books. I wanted to work with the artifacts of another woman artist to present, through my eyes, her interests, preferences, ideas, and tastes.  You Are What You See is a reflection of Mary Hambidge’s life and what information she chose to have in her presence.

Thorn Upon the Rose

Notes from Ireland | Book by Elizabeth Lide with audio CD by Paul Kayhart

1999

Paul Kayhart and I were artists-in-residence at The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, County Monaghan, Ireland, in an isolated farming area seven miles from the border of Northern Ireland. Paul recorded spontaneous conversations, interviews, and natural and mechanical sounds; I photographed people and sites and made a series of handmade books with materials that I found on site. After returning from the residency, we made an installation of my books and Paul’s sound at Sandler Hudson Gallery, and produced the book dedicated to the memory of my father, who was stationed in Northern Ireland and England during WWII. My father told me that walking the streets of Belfast during the war was like walking in his hometown in South Carolina, with the names of streets and shops the same. The printed book and audio CD reflect parallel experiences in Ireland, rather than one complementing the other.