Paperbark explores impressions, textures and qualities of the Australian landscape. Specifically, it depicts how one might experience a paper bark tree – an ever-present icon of the bush. As a small child I would peel off sheets of this tree, to play with, construct with, or just to enjoy the dry, curly, papery layers of soft bark that peeled off into my hands. This book is intended to be read in a similar way: run your fingers across the texture of the pages, peel back each layer of bark and touch the crinkly thin sheets of each layer.
I began this self-directed project by creating a photographic archive to use a basis for the content of a speculative book. I had always been fascinated by the scribbly-bark patterns inscribed on the bark of eucalyptus trees, so decided to hike through the Blue Mountains bush and take photos of every instance of scribbly bark I encountered. With an aim to represent the tactile quality of this pattern, I experimented with many different methods of inscribing and decaying paper to form scribbles. Yet I could not do it justice. So I gradually moved from wanting to present each scribble as content for pages of a book, to thinking about how the book as a whole object could be manipulated and constructed in a way that embodies an interpretation of the bush overall. By focussing in on a paperbark tree, the ‘content’ of the book is the paper itself – the eucalyptus hues, rounded and organic shaped paper, the layered organisation and the soft crinkly textures paired with a smoother, thicker stock. The design is complete within its clear slipcase, an important aspect of the work, allowing for an integration of typography whilst neatly encasing the book.
