Binding books as Haute Couture
- Louise started this job when she was 19
- Her technique follows the French traditional method
- Binding a book means to pass on its contents and secure it for the future
Louise Bescond is orthodox in technique but daring in decoration. For her, binding a book is not just an aesthetic feat, it means valuing its content – protecting it over time and passing on its contents. It is a real art dedicated to memory. The Latin concept "scripta manent" is more valid than ever. The technique takes up the ancient tradition of French binding. But creativity is her signature. And she asks that those who turn to her trust her art, leaving her free to improvise. It is here that Louise’s hand finds real inspiration. A hand that weaves a tailored dress to the book, in harmony with the content. A diary will have a different look to a novel from the 19th century. And that’s why it is such a special art, which takes a lot of time. And why it still fascinates her – and her customers.
INTERVIEW
My mother was a French teacher and when I was a kid, she used to give me illustrated books. I started to really notice and appreciate the quality of the drawings and the book – as an object in its own right. That’s when I learned to know what a well-made and well-printed book is.
If it’s a book I don’t know, I always try to learn and study what's inside. The choice of binding depends on the time and the type of text. A 17th-century novel will have a different look from a 20th-century novel.
I follow the age-old traditions of French binding, technically. However, I let myself go more creatively on the decoration and ornamentation, where I am inspired by the decorative arts – from textiles to ceramics, from paintings to mosaics.
It means that the mechanics of the book works well: you must be able to open and browse well without any problem, it must stand alone. Only in this way will it be passed down over time well, protected in form and content. The structure must hold well for centuries.
Louise Bescond
Bookbinder
Brussels, Belgium
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+32 499236154
LANGUAGES
French, English
