Dana Doricová: House, home and a place for beloved books
The artistic book binding of architect Viera Mecková
When in 1985 the authors Viera Mecková and Lida Mlichová presented their work at the 5th Triennial of Artistic Book Binding in Prague, their contribution was a surprise. The individuality of their work was awarded with the Association of Czech Bibliophiles Prize for binding a book by J. Cocteau entitled Poetry, written in 1985. Viera Mecková, author of the artistic designs, is a significant Slovak architect. In 2003 she was the first woman to be awarded the annual Emil Belluš Prize for her lifetime work and contribution to Slovak architecture. As co-author of implementation of designs, Lida Mlichová, is the daughter of bookmaker Ján Vrtílek. Since early adulthood she has lived with book binding when her father worked in his studio. She became fully acquainted with it as her father established art book binding in Slovakia, from the everyday laborious work of the craft up to beautiful moments of the presence with her father while watching him working. When creating the binding for “their” books, the authors were searching for most appropriate forms to express their mission. They were not afraid to work with “non-book” and “lowly” materials. They added to them and modified them in order to achieve their imagination. They perceived traditional materials and processes in a new way, seeking hidden possibilities. When creating almost architectonically and sculpturally bound books they worked with less commonly used methods for the binding and processing the backbone.
Further articles in the magazine Craft, Art, Design 03/2005:
- Object – surface – structure
- Xénia Lettrichová: Ideas and implementation
- Dana Doricová: House, home and a place for beloved books The artistic book binding of architect Viera Mecková
- Ľubica Pavlovičová: An exhibition a little bit about the past but mostly about the present SAC + SAI + SUA = 75
- Viera Kleinová: Last … or First?
- Eva Trojanová: Playing with light
- Tibor Uhrín: About craft and design
- Mojmír Benža: Exhibition that they liked…
- Martin Mešša: Weaving days in the Court of Crafts of ÚĽUV
- Martin Mešša: Margita Hanáková
- Juraj Zajonc: Anna Drobová - Creative development of traditional bobbin lace
- Elena Kurincová: Until the bride said “I do”
- ÚĽUV is 60 years old
- Dita Nociarová: Writing on textile
- Ján Aláč: Tombstones from Novohrad
- Martin Mešša: Wrought crosses