The art of luxury bookbinding
- Laurel fell in love with artists’ books at art school
- Paul trained in etching and bookmaking
- Digital tools support their production process
Laurel Parker Book is the eponymous Paris-based studio founded by its French-American artistic director, Laurel Parker. She specialises in the design and production of custom-made artist books, conservation objects, presentation materials and luxury stationery. The clientèle of the studio she runs with Paul Chamard comes from the world of contemporary art, luxury, publishing and archives. Laurel and Paul's work is sought out for its exception, intelligence, originality and novelty. They have a vast knowledge and experience of traditional methods but are also able to meet today’s demanding and innovative expectations. Their library has over 600 books and a materials swatch collection. Laurel and Paul are laureates of the Villa Kujoyama, Kyoto. The studio’s work is collected in prestigious public and private institutions.
Interview
- What led you to setting up your own studio?
- Laurel: I was teaching bookbinding at the Center for Book Arts, New York, while also working as an artist’s assistant, making artist’s books for him. I decided that I would like to do this for other artists full time.
- What has been your most challenging project to date?
- Laurel: The most interesting and fulfilling project we carried out was the book Fragments of Travel, Exploration and Adventure, for the American Artist Mark Dion.
- How important are knowledge and heritage in your view?
- Paul: Having a good background in art history and contemporary art is very important to our work, as well as having a strong background in design. These are equally important as knowledge of the craft itself.
- Is new technology relevant to your craft?
- Paul: New technology is very relevant to our work. We add digital technologies to our handcraft in order to produce things that cannot be done by hand. The hand does not replace the machine, and vice versa. The two methods enrich each other.
Laurel Parker & Paul Chamard are master artisans: they began their career in 1997 and they started teaching in 1997
Works
Where
Laurel Parker & Paul Chamard
Juliette Leperlier_Portrait 1_(c)Arthur Monfrais.jpg)
Juliette Leperlier_Studio 1_(c)Arthur Monfrais.jpg)
Juliette Leperlier_Naïade XXI_(c)Arthur Monfrais.jpg)
