About the Book

Oxford and Leather is a proposed bookwork dealing with the idea of duality and the role of make-believe in adult life, focusing on people who lead mainstream lives during the day but who are a part of the goth subculture on their own time. It will consist primarily of juxtaposed photographs, two each per subject, showing the two sides of the subject's life. Quotes from participants may be included as a verbal commentary. Each person will be identified by first name and occupation/role with corresponding information related to his or her goth persona.

Tentatively, OAL is going to be a side-bound multiple-signature book with hard, quarterbound or halfbound covers and an open spine, bound with leather or silk lacing. I am currently envisioning a length of approximately 24 pages; the dimensions of the book are currently set at around 5x8 inches. The outward appearance of the book will reflect the title and the contents as well as the underlying concept that both "oxford" and "leather" can coexist side-by-side, constructively and beautifully.

The title represents the physical transformation, in terms of clothing, for the participants. While not all of the participants may wear oxfordcloth dress shirts or leather garments, these two textiles are representative of the general fashion in each world.

This will be an extremely limited edition with copies provided for participants, as well as for the seven people in the graduate-level section of Book Arts at Boise State University. A copy may be included in the Special Collections of the Boise State library.