a book of tears
booklet | h 105mm x w 148mm | grey card cover; ten inner torn sheets; bound with black thread | title printed in black, inkjet | each book is unique | 2006 | £5 | purchase
A book of tears is an early work, one that has found its way into many exhibitions and collections. It grew from the simple double meaning of the word that is spelled t-e-a-r-s and plays with the expectations of the reader on seeing the word on the cover. Having witnessed many readers opening the book at book fairs over the years, it seems it is more common to read the word as the tears one sheds from the eyes. Thus when opening the book with this expectation, the reader often spontaneously laughs on finding the torn pages – the ten tears. Tears in the fabric of things, in this case in paper, can often lead to tears from the eye – in this case though, they can cause a smile. At a deeper level though, it can, if the reader chooses, be seen as a book of mourning. Or simply as a one word poem.
The book has been performed in the past – using a large sketch pad on an easel close to a microphone. The audience witnesses the artist write the title on the first page. Then each subsequent page is torn, with the sound of the tear coming across through the sound system. Each page is torn until the end of the book is reached. The book becomes a sound poem.
See also Books on Books curated by Robert Bolick
See also this tweet by @sterbeamme
See also Scottish Poetry Library
