The Alphabet of My Phobias, 2012

An artist’s book, that incorporates folded intaglio prints, screen-printed lyrics of a song, and an accordion binding. Korf’s passion for paper and discovering new structures are evidenced in this book. As Korf was playing with some unused proof prints, folding them in unusual ways, doubling them back-to-back, refolding and unfolding them to reveal the inside prints, she made a connection to an idea she had had for awhile regarding a book experience she wanted to create; where a poem could be hidden from the reader, where the reader would have to actively search for the words to make sense of the verses. She chose to use the text from the song The Alphabet of My Phobias in which the songwriter uses the format of an alphabet book, starting at A, and ending at Z, to catalog her phobias and present her dark view of a world damaged by humankind. By choosing to use a text with a known cadence, even though the text does not strictly follow the format of an alphabet book, Korf leads the reader to playfully pursue the sequence of letters, and to explore, when certain letters are hard to find, the inner folds of the book. Korf felt that the text was an unexpected gift from the Universe, as it so closely met her need for a poem which would lead readers to search through the pages to make meaning of the poem.

Collaborators: Maïa Tara Vidal, Roberto Silva Ortiz and Christa Wolf

Documentation Video 

Intaglio printing and silkscreened text on Akatosashi paper.

Book Cover Size: 11.75 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches

Page Size Folded: 11.4 x 7.5 Unfolded: 11.4 x 11.4

Edition of 20