This time we invited bookbinder Zeenat Azmi to discuss the state of bookbinding in Eritrea (and not only!) We covered topics from traditional bookbinding styles of the region and the use of papyrus to the influence of Islam and Christianity in Eritrea.
We've discussed the collection on our live stream before, but this time we decided to have a professional comment on what is exhibited there. There are several amazing professionals working with the printing equipment in the Museum of Industry, and Armina Ghazaryan is one of them.
Welcome to Arta Cărții! Or, at least that's how the workshop of Mihai Vârtejaru looked like almost three years ago. I planned to share these photos for quite a long time, and when I revisited Mihai's studio, everything was moved.work
Just a street switch box at a bus stop near our home in Leiden. You can find it right here: https://goo.gl/maps/ZAuiJza36ap8UXMi7
One of the topmost attractions of the Dutch city of Maastricht is a bookshop located in a medieval 13th-century Gothic church. The Dominican monastery was dissolved in the 18th century and later the building served different purposes until it became a bookshop.
Usually, our city walks bring us to different bookish places even when I don't plan for it. This time wasn't an exception. We started from St. James Park but ended up near Waterloo Bridge, where we found Southbank Book Market.
My wife had a business trip to the French town of Grasse. I came along to spend a weekend here and used this opportunity to visit an old books shop there.
As in many other Eastern European countries, Romania had seen a steep decline in bookbinding craftsmanship in the post-Soviet years. There are some remarkable masters, including some younger bookbinders. However, book restoration and bookmaking are reasonably expensive services, and it is quite understandable that in one of the less developed European countries the demand is quite low.
My wife and I had a weekend getaway in Armenia recently. That was a spontaneous decision, made partially because we don’t need a visa to get to the country (by the way, EU and US nationals do not need a visa to visit Armenia, this applies both for tourism and business trips). However, I couldn’t miss a chance to search for some bookish landmarks.
