The art of bookbinding at the Campus Book Festival 2018

What does it take to make a book by hand? Artist and poet Glen Calleja will be holding a workshop on the living art of handmade books during the Campus Book Festival held on the University’s quadrangle on Wednesday 21 March at 11 am. Glen will give a practical demonstration on how to produce a handmade book.

What makes a book? The question is pertinent both because the West values the book as central to its civilisations (think of the Bible, law codices, etc) and because of the emerging publishing platforms and new materials available for book artists and bookbinders today. What book structures are we familiar with and what makes a book structure different to another?

The workshop will answer these questions, while focusing on the principles of traditional bookbinding and on how these are essential in the process. A short explanation of the tools will be given, followed by the methods applied to design a book, from the initial idea to the final product.​​ The presentation will treat both traditional bookbinding skills as well as contemporary book design.

Glen is the founder of Kotba Calleja, and he has started a number of artistic collaborations with other craftsmen and artists.

The Campus Book Festival is organised by the National Book Council and the Għaqda tal-Malti, kicking off daily at 9 am with back-to-back activities planned until 4 pm. On Friday the activities will continue until late. The Festival aims to promote literature while giving publishers and book distributors a platform to sell and promote their publications. The Festival’s programme is vast and offers a wide range of events to suit many interests, from book launches and talks to film screenings, workshops and live music.

For more information about this event and the Campus Book Festival, visit the National Book Council’s website www.ktieb.org and Facebook page. A detailed programme can be downloaded by following the link.

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