Accordion Books: Interplay Between Form and Content

Contemporary book artists take their inspiration from what has come before while utilizing new techniques and technology to create unique works of art that can be used in a variety of classes. The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives defines an artists’ book as “a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of “book” as inspiration. It is the artistic initiative seen in the illustration, choice of materials, creation process, layout and design that makes it an art object. What truly makes an artist’s book is the artist’s intent, and artists have used the book as inspiration in a myriad of ways and techniques, from traditional to the experimental.”

Accordion books are one of the most common structures in artists’ books and are one of the easiest structures to make. They typically consist of a single sheet of paper that has been folded in a zig-zag pattern which gives them the appearance of an accordion or a concertina instrument. The structure of the book typically allows them to stand upright on their own so the reader can view all the pages at once. They can be as simple or as complicated as the artist wants - as you will see in the source set below, artists have included a variety of additions to their books including pockets, pop-up images, more complicated fold-out structures, and so on.

The accordion book format originated in China, possibly during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 CE), although its later association with Japan gave it the name Orihon. The Orihon structure was created to accommodate scroll-type books and possibly to mimic palm-leaf books which were used to transmit Buddhist texts from India to China. The form survived well into the nineteenth century for printed Buddhist sutras as well as for reference lists, calendars, and folding maps. Nowadays, the accordion book form or Orihon form is used throughout the world by book artists for a variety of subject matters and artistic expressions. 

The Collins Library collection of artists’ books have been selected to integrate with the curriculum and the collection features artists and writers with a geographic connection to our region, books that focus on themes that reflect the values of our community such as diversity, social justice, sustainability and personal narratives as well as books that showcase a variety of formats. The use of artists’ books in courses can foster critical thinking, encourage discovery of interdisciplinary connections and inspire new forms of personal expression. The accordion books in this digital teaching collection were chosen to showcase the breadth of accordion books and to demonstrate how they intersect with themes of personal narrative, social justice, story, and the interplay of book and form.