New York: Béatrice Coron, 2001. Number 18 of 20 copies. A metaphorical poem about a clock in a French church tower that tolls each hour with the Latin inscription: "Each hour injures, and the last one kills!" This square shaped book is folded in such a way that each time 102623you unfold it, another segment of poem is revealed along with more of the clock. Time appears to pass as you unfurl the book and read the ominous poem. Illustrations of soldiers marching, running, and finally dying wrap around the edges of the clock. Pochoir (stenciled) illustration on hand made paper. The poem is in French with an accompanying English translation, printed on matching handmade paper. Housed in a black cloth covered clamshell box with a working battery powered clock that has been hand painted by the artist to resemble the clock described in the poem. It adheres to the inside of the case with magnets.

The poet, Pierre Jones Theophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, and critic.
Mick Stern, the translator, is an artist and writer living in New York City. Stern received a PhD in English Renaissance Literature from New York University. He has taught English at Rutgers and other colleges. For more than twenty years, he taught screenwriting at NYU’s film school. A book review said about him: "Mick Stern's poems are clever, deep and humorous, real treat to read."

French born Béatrice Coron is a renowned artist whose work includes book arts, fine art, and public art. Her work can be found in major museum collections, libraries, as well as private collections. Her books are fascinating creations made through cutting images in paper or Tyvek. Cristina Favretto, Head of Special Collections at the University of Miami describes her work in Coron's "artfragments" portfolio: "There is a palpable joy in the work of Béatrice Coron, the kind of joy we felt as children in unwrapping a particularly enticing holiday gift. But...for Béatrice the gift is a sheet of Tyvek...or paper, and the stories to be unearthed and unleashed within and through the medium." Coron describes her book work: "For the last 20 years, I have been exploring visual storytelling in artist books, paper cutting and public art. Collecting memories from individuals and communities, I stage narrative allegories in silhouette to create a dialogue with the viewer in playful fantasies. These visual chronicles record archetypal stories that transcend time and space. I have been fascinated by the relation of people to their space and the sense of belonging. Using papercutting where everything is cut from a single piece of Tyvek, the profusion of individual stories makes a coherent whole world." [From her website]. In fine condition. Book size: 4.25 x 4.25 inches. Box Size: 4.5 x 4.5 x 2 inches. ARTB/102623. Fine. More