Every Place I've Ever Lived 1962-1978

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Comment by Jan Allsopp on January 8, 2013 at 7:38

Thanks Geraldine.

Comment by Geraldine Hudson on January 7, 2013 at 23:21

A lovely intriguing bookwork!

Comment by ilona s. yusuf on October 27, 2011 at 4:27

this is beautiful! as well as evocative, even without an explanation of the process or what the various elements symbolise.

Comment by Jan Allsopp on August 9, 2010 at 9:14

Thanks Di! It is very special to me, certainly.

Comment by Di Patmore on August 7, 2010 at 10:16

How did I miss this! It's a lovely piece,Jan and must be special to you.

Comment by grace on January 12, 2009 at 1:14

gorgeous!

Comment by Aine Scannell on July 2, 2008 at 21:10

I was wrong Jan now that you have told me more - I am even more enamored. I particularly like the bookmark being a plan of your house and the little red threadszzzzzzz...........

Comment by Jan Allsopp on July 2, 2008 at 17:45

Thanks Aine. The original idea came out of wanting to create a map. I love old books and collect them to use in my art. I decided to use this book as it reminded me also of my childhood in this house - while I have never read it, it was on the TV as a series and I wanted to capture good childhood memories in the work. I created a topographical 'map' of the area around my childhood home by cutting and collaging the pages of the book. Because I used the cutouts for the valleys to make the hills, the book still closes. The bookmark is a plan of my home. The red threads show the routes I would take from by bedroom to my favourite play areas.

Comment by Aine Scannell on July 2, 2008 at 8:33

Jan, I'm pretty impressed with this piece. I have often thought that I might have a go at this sort of thing but then think that i would most probably make a complete "hames" of it.

Yours looks wonderfully handled in the technical sense but it is it's visual presence combined with the potency of the title that 'does it' for me. What came first regarding its creation the idea of working with an altered book ? ....I see now on closer inspection, that the title is "How Green was my Valley", just trying to remember; is that story that conjures up the idea of a romantic homeland ? I seem to think so.
Also as I cant quite make it out -- is the carved away paper representative of a heart shape or is it on one side a mountain and on the other a valley? Just trying to understand it more.

It's daft isn't it really because whatever you tell me ...I will still love it