Beach Read 🏖️ ...but Make it Weird
This week’s pick, Pistolero, was created by book artist Louise Levergneux and published in Apache Junction, Arizona, in 2023 in an edition of 8 copies signed by the artist. Levergneux’s work often plays with material, structure, and language, and this one doesn’t even try to be subtle.
It begins with a West Coast road trip through Washington, Oregon, and California, collecting sand along the way. Using an accordion structure that echoes the classic travel souvenir, the book can be flipped through page by page or fully extended into one long, panoramic spread.
So far, so innocent.
But then we get to the sand-filled vials. Originally meant to neatly contain the collection, their shape suggested something a little more…expressive. Rather than pulling out, Levergneux leans all the way in, building a narrative that plays with scale, shape, and just how much meaning you can pack into a small container.
The result? A book that’s equal parts travelogue, material experiment, and visual double entendre, proving that sometimes meaning is all about perspective (and maybe a well-placed curve).
Some artists push boundaries. This one packs them in sand and puts them on full display.
-Melissa (trying very hard to keep this academic), Distinctive Collections Library Assistant
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