Birgit Nielson
For What It’s Worth, Immigrant Impressions, Pt. 1
Fall 2013
Artist Book: Typeset and printed by hand on the Vandercook
Cover stock and handmade paper (from decommissioned US Dollars)
6.25 x 4.75 x 0.125 inches
When I came across several sheets of paper made from decommissioned US currency, I could not resist the temptation to typeset impressions of my adopted home on the "mighty American dollar."
Equally taken out of circulation were the wood cuts available at the print shop. The images are a perfect fit as they depict mid 20th century America - the heyday of the American Dream, the embrace of commerce and upward mobility - all very relevant to the immigrant experience. Other images, e.g., the Native American chief, only completed the picture.
The text pages are book-ended by a typeset rendition of the ubiquitous digital word clouds, a perfect medium to print concepts, oddities and observations about the USA and its society that I, as an immigrant, discovered.
Every part of this book is a reinvention, given a new lease on life - paper, type, wood cuts - as is the immigrant experience.