Do you have old books that you treasure? Books with stories that have seen you through both happy and hard times, books that you don’t want to sell, but that are old and falling apart? Many people have books that they don’t want to let go of quite yet – but, after a while, these treasures begin to pile up and take up space. For those of us who love to read and collect books, but don’t have a lot of space, consider using those old books for a new purpose.
In the Brandywine Heights Library, old books are regularly sent to the recycle bin. Like everyone everywhere, the library doesn’t have unlimited space and has to make the hard choice to get rid of some books. But, students in the Brandywine Heights School decided that they wanted to rescue a few of these treasures and use them for a greater purpose: art. Michael A. Daddario, an art teacher at the school, challenged his students to ‘breathe new life into old library books’ with folding techniques akin to that of Japanese origami. They took up the challenge and did far better than their teacher could ever have hoped for, creating imaginative and inspiring masterpieces: a 180-degree dome sculpted from flat paper and rows of paper clips; three-dimensional stage actors cut out of the pages using an active imagination and a utility knife; a snarling animal jumping from a book’s covers. These works of art are not only breathtaking, they’re inspiring. If you have old books that you don’t want to give up yet, perhaps think outside the box: make them into art. Whether you’re willing to take out a few knives and do your own carvings, or you’d just like to use them as decorative pieces around your house, a few artistic old books can spice up your house and save you some space.