About this work
A miniature lock and key, forged of iron, steel, and brass, gave rise to the flea circus boom, or so the tale goes, when Mark Scalliot, a 16th Century smithy, fashioned to his lock and key, a fine chain of 43 links which he in turn fastened “about the neck of a flea, which drew them all with ease. All these together, lock and key, chain and flea, weighed only one grain and a half.” Created “for exhibition of trial and skill”, it coincidentally highlighted the finesse of a single flea (Pulex irritans), and so we have orchestrated, in our own exhibition of skill with scissors and files, a theatre for insects. Though this time around, our fellow exhibitors, the insects, all, momentarily pressed within our artists’ book, Bilateral symmetry, are untethered and unglued upon the unfolding paper stage. And all weighing no more, it is estimated, than 1662 grains of gold, once bound in book form.
Please note
To ensure your purchase arrives safe and smooth, all artists’ books are wrapped in archival acetate and boxed with cushioning.
Where possible, we reuse packaging material on all orders.