Unmade: an artists’ book edition

Unmade: An Artists’ Book Edition is the written component of Sara R. Parr’s thesis for a Master of Fine Art degree in Book Arts. It provides creative statements and documentation for the artists’ book and its exhibition.

The artists’ book itself explores the theme of intergenerational trauma through the metaphor of the bed from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea." The book, produced in an edition of ten, features an accordion format with letterpress printing on Hahnemühle Biblio paper, and is housed in a clamshell box. The book includes text written by the artist and depicts a female figure who struggles to find rest and comfort amidst her internal dialogue. This work reflects the artist’s shift from telling other women's stories to sharing her own and distills the complexities of unpacking personal and inherited histories to a tangible object.