 Memory Lame By Jessica Spring Tacoma, Washington: Springtide Press, 2018. Edition of 25. 10 x 13 inches, includes five chapters, enclosed in Saint-Armand wrapper. Built structure is 3 feet wide, 13 inches tall. Letterpress printed with handset wood and metal type, ornaments, and photo-polymer plates by Jessica Spring. Paper: Saint-Armand, Magnani and handmade abaca made in residency at the Morgan Conservatory. Bound by Gabby Cooksey. Jessica Spring: "Memory Lame focuses on retention and loss of memory. The book structure must be built by the reader with content emanating from a central, pentagonal memory palace-the most common mnemonic place system-aided by cues of geometric shapes and large numerals. Surrounding the palace are excerpts from Rhetorica ad Herennium, the oldest known book on rhetoric and memory. Billy Collins' poem 'Forgetfulness' is repeated in each chapter, the text moving from black to gray as the reader circles the book. Common mnemonic devices tease the memory, printed on sheets of handmade Saint-Armand. Tucked in each chapter are illustrations of plants that improve cognitive function, printed on transparent abaca. Text set in geometric shapes share the author's grueling experience of cognitive and memory testing." |