Hanging plants in books

 

Africa reinvented: In a good place

Turning old paper-backs into something beautiful

These books are all from the recycling pile (mountain) - they were going to become pulp and now they won't.

These are just the first 3 designs - all sorts of shapes are available including birds, words and horses.  The sky is the limit.  Prices start at R2400.  The Heart and Africa are about 70cm x 80cm in size.  The Deer head with the branch horns is about 1.5m from tip to tip.

I couldn't resist

The Singing Tree - written and illustrated by Kate Seredy - printed 1960 
Alice in Wonderland - written by Lewis Carrol (no mention of the illustrator) - printed 1933

More books for the bookshelf.

Window Installation at the Fringe Arts

Thank you Chantal and Thessa for letting me put all this stuff in your window at The Fringe Arts on Kloof Street in Cape Town.

It's a long post with lots of photos and my thinking behind it is at the very end.

Detail shots of the base of the window.  I have used Spekboom in the book plant holders.  You can buy a tray of 6 for R20 at Lawtons currently and they are good for sucking up carbon.

and my new favourite thing - especially the horns made from tree branches

 Some nice members of the general public I met today

So what is this all about?

We throw away an inordinate amount of stuff.  It lands up on our rubbish dumps, in landfills, the oceans and maybe the recycling pile.  It bothers me a lot.  The lack of awareness and apathy of the general public bothers me even more.  Not just for waste but for day to day life as well and the stuff going on around us.  Maybe turning this ‘rubbish’ into something intriguing and beautiful will spark your interest.  And maybe the thoughts and quotes will make you giggle or strike a deeper chord with you.

And where do I get the ‘materials’ from?

The Books

I purchase them from the recycling pile at Oasis and CAFDA Charity shops.  These books were all destined to become paper pulp but now they have another little life.  The books I see being pulped break my heart but I can’t rescue them all.  My personal collection is already overflowing so unfortunately I have to let the majority go.

It seems we’ve been rolling books and magazines since the 60’s.  The oldest photo I found was of a pencil and pen holder in an old ‘Good Housekeeping’ magazine made from a magazine chopped in half with the pages rolled in. 

There is something incredibly satisfying about folding a book page in on itself and then moving onto the next one.  The repetitive action is the closest I get to meditation – similar I suppose to a walking meditation.  Maybe it's the movement that calms the mind.

The plastic bits of Flotsam

I am beach comber.  I love to wander our coastlines collecting all sorts of flotsam.  As a child I collected shells but the sad reality is that there are not many shells anymore.  So instead I have turned to flotsam.  I love the way the plastic has been worn and grinded down by the sea and bleached by the sun – I find these pieces heartbreakingly beautiful.  Each piece is completely unique and the worst part is that there seems to be a never ending supply of it.  

Origami Lessons - Learn to Fold

Origami Lessons 

Winter 2012

Gather a group of friends and come learn to fold.  Enjoy some time exploring your creativity in a relaxed and fun environment.  We encourage you to bring along drinks and snacks and make an evening of it.  You bring the people and we will provide the space and teacher.  For comfort we recommend a maximum of ten - that way we can all sit around a table and everyone will get the attention they need.   Generally we will fold 2 of the following based on what everyone would like to do - choose from a horse, flower or crane as pictured.  Ideal for a special get together, team building or just spending time with your friends doing something a little different.

About Keri Muller:  
Paper artist, origami maker, collector, treasure hunter and maker of stuff.  Keri has worked on various projects ranging from large scale recycled paper installations, book artworks to quirky illustrations and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Learning to fold classes are now available due to the postive response received from other groups she has taught.  Feel free to get in touch with her for a chat if something else creative sparks your interest.  Please do visit www.simpleintrigue.blogspot.com for further information.

About 'Abi & Scarlett Retail and Pop Up Event Space:
 Abi & Scarlett have created a multi-faceted concept with a permanent shop, 'Abi & Scarlett Retail Space' on the groundfloor showcasing their own range of products as well as that of other artists.  The upstairs level, 'Abi & ScarlettPop up Event Space' is available for use by groups for a diverse range of activities from Pop Up shops to yoga to art classes and talks.  For further information and photos of the space please do visit www.abiandscarlett.com

Cost and details:
We recommend a weekday evening from 6pm.
The space will be open from 6pm to 8pm
Address: 36 Bay Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town
The cost is R750 including 1 hour of teaching time for up to 6 people and the studio space.  Additional people are charged at R80 per person.
The maximum class size is 10 people.

For more information or to book please email Keri - kerimuller@gmail.com

Milnerton Market - Children's Book

Really sweet little picture book

New

Book Covers

Just look at these covers - in love

So simple some of them and so effective

Exhibition at Ebony in Franschhoek

I met the lovely Dewald and Co at Design Indaba this year when they came running into my stand and promptly bought 3 artworks.  Once all the madness was over I took a drive out to Franschhoek to deliver the work.  Well, Ebony is gorgeous.  It covers 2 floors and has a very unique selection of Art and Design pieces - a lot of which I have never seen anywhere else. 


I have created 13 new pieces of work - some following my favourite style and others a little different.  The exhibition opens on the 11th of May and coincides with the Franschhoek Literary Festival.  The work will remain up for 2 weeks, maybe longer. Books used are South African in nature and explore various themes in nature and culture. 


For any enquiries do contact Ebony directly.


Ebony
4 Franschhoek Square, 32 Huguenot Street
info@ebonydesign.co.za
+27 (021) 876 4477

 ‘n Lied vir ons land

Keri Muller

Translation: A song for our land

This is a book of Afrikaans poetry issued by the Department of Education in 1967.  The list of subjects I found inside the book and thought the handwriting in ink particularly beautiful reminding me of a climbing rose.   

Southern Africa and the rest of the World

Keri Muller

I often feel cut off from the rest of the world down at the bottom of Africa and even more so when in Mozambique or other Southern African countries.  The torn page framing the map is an index page listing some of my favourite places in the rest of the world.  I always come back to Cape Town though, like most migratory bird species. The pages are from a Readers Digest World Atlas.  The birds are cut from Cape Liner.

A rare breed

Keri Muller

An old English/Afrikaans School Dictionary has been used as the folded base.  The birds have been cut from ‘Western Cape Pocket Guide to Flora’ and intertwined with pieces of copper wire.   

Aspekte van die geskiedenis van Afrika

Keri Muller

Folded pages from inside the book collaged with flowers cut from the ‘Western Cape Pocket Guide to Flora’.  Lines of Longitude and Latitude sewn with Copper wire.

Bilingual

Keri Muller

An original ‘Tweetalige Schoolwoordeboek’ cut, folded and glued.

Can you speak the Language?

Keri Muller

An ‘English Xhosa’dictionary cut, folded and glued.  Additionally a set of commemorative stamps from the 80’s have been added reflecting South Africa’s various rare commodities in that time. 

Cry the Beloved Country

Keri Muller

One of my favourite themes and books – swallows in flight represent the ultimate freedom to me.  Cut from Cape Liner and collaged into the rolled pages of this book I like to think Alan Paton would be pleased that his book is not sitting on a shelf gathering dust but rather being seen.

Hou op Kwel en begin Lewe

Keri Muller

Translation:  Stop complaining and start living

I spend a lot of time listening and observing people in my day to day life and always amazed at the amount of complaining I hear.  When I came across Dale Carnegie’s book translated into Afrikaans I just had to use it.  Inside the book was this torn out page of a Chiff Chaff – this little bird makes the funniest call that can become rather irritating a lot like complainers. The Boy Scout is from an Annual published in the 1950’s. ‘Every Moment Matters’ has become one of my personal mantras and something I think we should all remember as life is short.  Something I have to remind myself to remember!

Leaping

Keri Muller

Cut from a well thumbed School Pocket Dictionary – the leaping buck are one of my reoccuring themes.  I thoroughly enjoy the notion of running and jumping just for fun. I often think Impala are doing just that.

Dancers of the Karoo

Keri Muller

The Karoo is an incredibly beautiful, free space to me.  These ballet dancers in their various poses represent this lightness and space.  

Trekking On

Keri Muller

A well thumbed school library copy all about the Great Trek complete with the original Library card.  In the days of the Great Trek the Springbok migration still happened, unfortunately as the settlers moved inland so they hunted and killed all the animals. The forward in this book is written by Jan Smuts. 

Botanicals – Animals of the Cape Province

Keri Muller

Folded from a pocket size guide to the Animals of the Cape Province and collaged with Flowers and a bird cut from a similar guide book.  These were all printed in the 1960’s.

   
Botanicals – Proteas of the Western Cape

Keri Muller

Folded from a pocket size guide –The Protea’s of the Western Cape.   Collaged with various Proteas and the bird is a Cape Penduline Tit -  these are all cut from the Pocket Guides to the Birds and Flora of the Cape Province.  

Book Africa

And maybe a little cheesy but I like it
For sale soon
It hangs on the wall
Dimensions: about 50cm x 50cm

Some lovely old annual prints

These will be 'popping up' soon
Terrible, terrible pun