The Song of the Wind Horse, by Shirley Sharoff
(Shirley Sharoff) The Song of the Wind Horse. Artist’s book by Shirley Sharoff. Photographs of Tibet taken by the artist in 2004. [Paris. 2005.] 8.5” x 8.25”. Typography by Jean Jacques Sergent. Illustration of wind horse and Tibetan writing in orange and black in a frame on the first page. Two thin card pages which fold out to show text and a double-page spread of 16 photographs of Tibetan banners on mountain tops and 2 squares of colored paper. 8 of the photographs ‘fall’ open to reveal long attachments of handmade paper or squares of colored paper illustrated with images of a wind horse. Colophon written by hand on a yellow wind horse. Laid in a three-sided board folder covered in natural color handmade Tibetan paper with red petals and green leaves; lined in yellow and gold illustrated Tibetan paper with a cream wind horse on the last side. Slipcase of mottled handmade cream Nepalese paper. No. 2 of 3 copies, signed by Sharoff. Fine.
Sharoff writes: “The text referring to Sherlock Holmes is a conjecture that he was in Tibet during the time he disappeared after seemingly being murdered and then re-appearing years later.” The book can be displayed open to show the long attachments of paper, reflecting the long banners of the mountain-tops of Tibet. A wonderful concept.
Related items: Artists' Books, Catalogue 36 - Summer 2008, Structure, Shirley Sharoff