Book number 5 is now in the USA. It's global y'all!

This is Mary Doodles, artist, youtuber and entertainer. And brilliant. She will take care of this book for its first chapter in Los Angeles, California. 

Watch her open the package (impeccably and thoroughly taped by me).

Check out her stuff here: http://www.marydoodles.com/

And here (them art videos!): www.youtube.com/user/marydoodles

A Cheerful Frog...

...from London! 

This fellow and more pics of Anneli Winter's contribution to the Chain Art Book  you can find on her blog. 

Anneli experienced some bleed through due to thin papers. The paper I used to bind the books are a bit thicker than ordinary copy paper (120g instead of 90g) but it can't hold any water. So if you use heavy markers, watercolor or some other wet technique it's handy to use a separate paper of your choice and glue it in afterwards. Really nice save on the first pic though, Anneli! 

More books!

Three more books are now ready for shipping. One is going to Ukraine and one to Iceland. I'm not sure about the third book yet. 

The first book is now in London in the hands of the lovely Anneli Winter. She's a cartoonist, novelist and fellow nerd. 

She sent me this sneak peek of her contribution. 

If you have one of my sketchbooks you're very welcome to send me pictures and/or updates and I will post it on the blog. 

If you wonder what the books look like, here's the first 6. I hope I get to see them again. Until then, maybe you will?

Have you received a sketchbook? Please read this!

The importance of documentation

One of the exciting aspects of this project is to put your trust in others. Not only in the future receivers of the book with your artwork in but also the postal service. Be sure to take photos of your contribution. If the book gets lost or damage it's nice to have something left of your magnificent pages.

Feel free to contact me! I would love to hear from you and updates on where the book is.   Maybe I will ask you for pictures if the book gets lost.

adina_almen@hotmail.com

The beginning

Today I packed and sent five books. Earlier this week I dropped off two books in Malmö when I was visiting friends. So at this moment there's seven books out there (ok, five is still in a bag at the post office until tomorrow). Three of them are going abroad (that's why I try writing this blog in my embarrassingly poor english).

I think I will make three more, to have a nice even number, and hand them out to friends here in town.

I've chosen the receivers carefully. They are all artists of different kind with an interest of joining the project. I trust their judgement on were to send the books next but after that I've lost all control and insight. Exciting! 

Rules/guidelines

1. Each participant gets 1-4 pages in the book to their disposal.

2. Use them as you wish! Feel free to get inspired by earlier pages if you like.

3. You can attach whatever you want in the pages as long as it's not very heavy or big, the book need to be easy to send by regular mail.

4. Take your time with your contribution, there's no time limit. But we don't want it to get trapped in a drawer somewhere so if you've had it a couple of weeks, maybe it's time to...

5. Pass it on! Send or hand it over to someone else whom you think will like to be a part of the project.

Have you reached the last page? (Or if you can't think of anyone to send it to) Please pack it nice and secure and send to the following address:

Adina Almén

Ekebyvägen 19

S-752 63 UPPSALA

SWEDEN

Keep in touch! 

adina_almen@hotmail.com
I would love to hear from you and updates on where the book is.  Maybe in the furure I will ask you for pictures if the book gets lost. 

Hello and welcome!

This blog is the home of the Chain Art Book Project.

Who am I?

My name is Adina and I started this project as an art experiment. I'm a visual artist from Uppsala, Sweden. I usually work with textile fibres of various kinds but I like to use other materials as well.
If you want to see a bit of what I've done you can visit my online portfolio.

So why did I start this project?

Well, let me first be honest and say that I don't know at the time how this will end. There is no way of saying when the books will return to me, in what state or even if they will return at all. I'm taking a massive leap of faith here in sending out handmade sketchbooks around the world. And that is part of the answer to why I'm doing this. I like the feeling of not knowing where the books are going and what hands they will pass through.
I think of it as an adventure.

What will happen to the books when they return?

It depends a bit on how many of them that will make it back to me. It would be wonderful to have them on display in an exhibition. Surely they will be featured here on the blog eventually. Untill then I will use this blog for updates on the project, thoughts on art, bookbinding, the postal service or whatever comes to my mind. If I get some reports from where the books are on their journey I will write about that.

So long for now!

Adina