kerry miller’s intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
all images courtesy of kerry miller

 

 

 

as technology threatens to replace the printed word, kerry miller re-imagines books with these intricate 3D pieces of artwork. dissecting the old, discarded volumes, the UK-based artist removes the written word – taking only the illustrations from inside, as well as its outer shell to make her creations. watercolors and ink are used to enrich the final object, adding a sense of depth and energy. the delicately worked 3d books provide glimpses into the past, becoming miniature worlds that allow the viewer to simply tumble into them. the works are strongly connected to history giving a new purpose to something that may otherwise, end up in the trash. “I enjoy the fact that I can even make use of books in a condition which most people would dismiss as unusable.’ says the designer, ‘for example, I discovered an 1868 copy of mrs beeton’s book of household management in a junk shop. although complete, it was little more than a pile of loose pages held together with an elastic band. inside, however, the lovely illustrations were revealed to be in perfect condition. the rugged and gnarled appearance of the book has been carefully preserved, which I believe greatly enhances the character of the finished piece.”

 

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
pflanzleben des schwarzwaldes (plant life of the black forest) by friedrich oltmann

 

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
brehm djurens liv – vol 12 (animal life) by alfred brehm

 

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
brehm djurens liv – vol 12 (animal life) by alfred brehm

 

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
textbook of zoology by parker and haswell – hand-coloured in inks

 

 

 kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
cookery for every household by florence b jack

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
virtue’s household physician

 

 

 kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
the delicately worked 3D books provide glimpses into the past

 

 

kerry miller's intricately carved 3D artworks from old books
detail of hand-colouring in inks- textbook of zoology + detail of virtue’s household physician

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.