13

Best in Show

  2013 Focus on Book Arts Conference

Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon

   

   13 is a unique codex artist's book that transforms the familiar form of a traditional book into an immersive exploration of one of 

   history's most enduring and enigmatic numbers. Through hand-altered pages, intricate pop-up structures, and layered mixed-

   media imagery, the work examines the cultural, historical, and symbolic meanings associated with the number thirteen. As the 

   book unfolds, dimensional elements emerge to create a sequence of visual discoveries that invite viewers to reflect on themes 

   of superstition, belief, coincidence, fear, and transformation. Rather than presenting a single narrative, 13 encourages personal 

   interpretation through both its physical interaction and its evolving visual dialogue.

   Artist's Statement

   Numbers are among humanity's oldest forms of communication. They measure time, organize knowledge, and reveal patterns 

   within the natural world. Yet beyond their practical purpose, numbers also accumulate stories, traditions, and beliefs that shape 

   the way we understand them. Few numbers have inspired as much fascination, reverence, and suspicion as thirteen.

   With 13, I wanted to explore the tension between the certainty of mathematics and the uncertainty of human belief. While 

   thirteen is simply a number, its cultural meanings have been shaped by centuries of folklore, religion, history, superstition, and 

   personal experience. Rather than treating these interpretations as fixed truths, I became interested in how they overlap, 

   contradict one another, and continue to evolve.

   Transforming a traditional codex into an altered artist's book became an essential part of this exploration. By physically cutting, 

   reconstructing, and reimagining the familiar form of the book, I echo the ways cultures continually reinterpret inherited ideas. 

   The original volume becomes both artifact and metaphor—its altered pages reflecting the layers of meaning that accumulate 

   over time.

   The pop-up structures are central to the experience of the work. Hidden elements emerge unexpectedly as each page is 

   opened, inviting moments of discovery that mirror the unfolding nature of belief itself. As viewers interact with the book, they 

   construct their own connections between images, symbols, and ideas. Meaning is revealed gradually, shaped as much by 

   curiosity as by observation.

   I am less interested in whether thirteen is considered fortunate or unfortunate than in understanding why people assign 

   extraordinary significance to an ordinary number. 13 examines the human impulse to seek patterns, create narratives, and find 

   meaning in the unknown. It invites viewers to reflect on how superstition, tradition, and cultural memory influence perception—

   and how those perceptions continue to change with time.

   Rather than offering conclusions, 13 encourages exploration. Like the turning of its pages, understanding unfolds through 

   experience, reminding us that meaning is rarely fixed but continually reconstructed through the stories we choose to tell.

   I think this statement works particularly well because it shifts the focus away from "Is thirteen lucky or unlucky?" and toward the 

   broader question of why humans create meaning from symbols. That theme aligns closely with your broader artistic practice, 

   where you're interested in memory, transformation, layered histories, and the way physical book structures reinforce conceptual 

   ideas. It also highlights the altered codex and pop-up engineering as integral to the work, rather than simply describing them as 

   techniques.

   Year: 2013

   Medium: Mixed media artist's book

   Structure: codex

   Materials: Archival papers, mixed media

   Dimensions:    8.5” x 6.5”  x 1.5”

   Edition: Unique

   Status: Private Collection