the void
Three copies of The Void, a limited edition artist’s book by Rachel Simmons, showing variation in design. Boxes were constructed from wood, acrylic and mirrored vinyl.
The Void
Limited edition artist’s book, 2024, variable edition of 7. Risograph and digital prints on paper and vellum with typewriter, mirror tape, vinyl and collage. Pamphlet stitch binding with magnetic wrapper cover enclosed in a lidded box constructed from wood, acrylic and mirrored vinyl. Box is 5.5” tall x 5.5” wide x 3” deep. Book is 5” tall x 5” x .25” deep when closed and 5” tall x 13” wide x .25” deep when open.
The Void is a vivid mixture of fluorescent colors, translucent papers, and a range of rough, sanded and mirrored surfaces meant to invite touch. Using the tone of a scientific study, the text invites readers to consider how creativity and imagination bridges gaps between human knowledge and the unknown. The Void is a scientific theory about invisible fields that bind the universe together. Referencing disciplines like astrophysics and cognitive science, the book presents abstract imagery, notes and poses questions for the reader about what can be discovered in the unfamiliar to recreate the past and invent the future.
The retro-galactic aesthetic was inspired by my favorite fluorescent fashions, New Wave music and music videos I remember from growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. By pairing scientific text composed on a script typewriter with bright, abstract and reflective imagery, I hope to engage the reader in examining how sensory memory and creativity work in tandem to fill the Void with new ideas. The book’s cover was created by layering imagery from my 2023 artist’s book, Dream of the Golden Empress and features the dancing figure of the Golden Empress as an embodiment of my imagination.