Seven Cases
By Pamela Olson
Iowa City, Iowa: Particle Press, 2013. Edition of 35.

9.25 x 5"; 45 pages. Papers: Zerkall book paper, Mohawk superfine, gampi paper collage. Images printed from metal ornaments an polymer plates created from drawings by the artist. Text printed from handset Bulmer, Twentieth Century, and Helvetica typefaces. Bound in sewn boards with paper over boards and a cloth spine. Laid in three flap portfolio. Numbered and signed by the artist.

Pamela Olson: "The project visually documents numerous visits to relatives in Prague over the last decade, and depicts the experience of an outsider being led through spaces primarily inhabited by insiders. The images and text are meant to reflect the fragmented nature of the visits over the years, with both abstract and identifiable scenes of the city that break apart and build off of one another. The text is taken directly from words and phrases that were heard, thought, seen, or spoken.

"The title refers to the complexity of the Czech language and the difficulty that many English speakers initially experience with its seven grammatical cases. The intricacy of the Czech language is mirrored in the topography of Prague, with its winding streets and hidden passageways that tend to deter visitors from experiencing the city as a native might. The primary intention of this project is to reflect a place that is beautiful, complex, and at times impenetrable. The pacing of the book alludes to walking or drifting through an urban space, and portrays the shifts in mood as one moves from neighborhood to neighborhood from inner city to outskirts."

Support for this project by the Caxton Club of Chicago.
$200