Toronto: George A. Walker, 1991. Hardcover. Number 27 of 50 copies. (The included CD was produced in a limitation of 300 copies.) An interesting artists' book that combines a finely printed limited edition book with a musical CD created by the book artist specifically for this project. According to George Walker: "Using a unique invented musical hieroglyphic language derived from ancient symbols; 'Acrophony' is a work concerned with pictograms, language, colour, and notation. It consists of a boxed [and bound] set of sheets letterpress printed with symbols interpreted musically on a compact disc. The CD itself is original music composed by George Walker and Nicolas Stirling and relates directly to the Acrophonal scores included in the book." The music was composed and recorded over five weeks during the summer of 1991 at the Strange Nursery Studio in Toronto. It features piano, strings, percussion, leaves, vocals, trumpets, flugelhorns, guitar, and more. In addition to cryptic pictograms and symbols (that have a key to aid in interpretation), the text of the book discusses the sound as it relates to existence, biology, nature, and the heavens. The music is composed based around glyphs of the seven planets, with textual references to Pythagoras of Samos (560 - 480 BC) and his 'Doctrine of the ethos.' A fascinating exploration of sound.

The book features a piano hinge binding with five wooden dowels along the spine. The cover features a linocut print by Walker and the title of the book. It is printed in Baskerville and Bodoni Book typefaces on handmade paper produced at St. Armand by hand on a Vandercook SP15 proof press. The book includes linocut and woodcut illustrations by Walker with the assistance of Stirling. The book and CD are housed in a grey paper covered box with red and black title and illustration to spine and front panels. The interior of the box has a vacuum formed sculptural plastic insert that holds the CD in place. In fine condition. [16 pages.] PRI/032723. Fine.

Item #36501

Price: $1,000.00