Gloria Helfgott

Along the Trail

This sculptural bookwork consists of three structures, each with three metal latticework arms that form screens. Petroglyphs created by the artist are framed within the lattice, and each piece is housed in a box covered with red book cloth.

As with many of Helfgott’s works, the reader is challenged to see and identify the various parts of a traditional book and relate them to the architecture of the work at hand. In Along the Trail, there are three chapters, each represented by one of the screens. There are three pages in each chapter, with four or five paragraphs represented by each of the Petroglyphs. Each chapter is also a traditional signature forming part of a bound book. In this case, the binding is done with metal links.

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: 2004
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 22.75” x 5” each piece

 

Amon-Re

The Egyptian deity Amon-Re was regarded as the creator god, associated with air, the breath of life and fertility. He is often portrayed in human form sitting on a throne. In Gloria Helfgott’s book, the 4.5-inch statue of Amon-Re is seen standing with one foot in front of the other, as if ready to walk out of the structure. Four pages of handmade paper on each side of him contain images from hieroglyphics. Images and small ceramic pieces depicting scarabs also decorate the pages. The book is bound in light green leather and closes with a bone clasp. The inside covers of the black clamshell box housing the book are covered with paste papers made by Dawn Henney.

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: 2005
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 96.5” x 9.25”

 

Babel

A tribute to the mysteries of language, this sculptural book consists of two pieces; one on a revolving base and the other as a series of tower walls decorated with Babylonian icons. The pieces were created using wood, acrylic and metal, with miniature painting on the towers. The two sections are individually housed in their own box. The two sections combine to create the stand for the book.

The structure is essentially a scroll book, but it also creates a chamber that the reader walks through to find the center void. The floor is covered with undecipherable text, reflecting the confusion that occurred in the Biblical tale of the Tower of Babel.

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: 1991
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 12” x 12”

 

Origins

Gloria Helfgott’s Origins is a scroll book based on the structure of a Torah. Constructed of cardboard, printed papers and metal, it contains undecipherable text and is housed in a box covered with red book cloth. The interior of the box is covered with gold leaf paint. The handwritten text and illustrations are attached to a long Torah pointer and can be pulled out for full viewing. The pointer can be rewound into the torah by the finial at the top of the scroll.

Originally from Connecticut, Helfgott now lives and works in the Pacific Palisades. She is an expert in bookmaking and binding, and has taught bookmaking techniques throughout the United States. She brings exquisite craftsmanship and significant content to her bookworks.

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: 1997
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 18.5” x 4.75”

 

Tributes and Commentaries

Tributes and Commentaries was created and designed by Gloria Helfgott to be exhibited as a wall/table book. The three Tributes are printed with lines and symbols and the three Commentaries are acrylic painted black boards with small slate pieces representing the undecipherable text that comments and illuminates each of the Tributes. The entire book is in black and shades of gray, with the illustrations overprinted to create the variations.

As with her other one-of-a-kind books, Helfgott challenges the readers to create their own translations of the text and use their imagination to see beyond the limited palette of color. As with poetry, each reader brings their own set of perceptions and realities to the work, making Tributes and Commentaries a unique experience.

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: Undated
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 13” x 18”

 

Willful Acts 

Willful Acts is a multiple fold structured book, with each fold representing the wings of a stage containing ghostlike characters from well-known Shakespeare plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Hamlet. The book pays homage to the actors, known and unknown, who have performed Shakespeare though the ages in many languages.

Artist Gloria Helfgott said: “The reverse side of the folds holds a drawing of a map of London during late Elizabethan times. The narrow folds list blocked out names of theatres that were closed in London during the late 16^th century because of the plague. An assortment of Asian papers was used and the line drawing is white pencil.” – Gloria Helfgott

Press: Constructed by the Artist
Date: 2005
Number and Edition: 1 of 1
Size: 7” x 14”