Banoo Batliboi – Sculpting Books
Artist recycles worn-out books into sculptures
She gives books a new identity; call her the ‘book makeover’ if you like. But for Banoo Batliboi, 51, working with books is “something I had to do, the moment I set eyes on a book sculpture”. Batliboi is an altered book artist, the only one in the city and probably, the country.
What does she do? She takes a book, folds its pages in different sizes and voila, you have a book sculpture. It’s not as easy as it sounds though; a good book sculpture requires intense concentration and lots of practice. Unlike most altered book artists, Batliboi does not cut or tear the pages but just folds them in different dimensions to create an abstract image. “Every page is carefully mapped out and measured. The final form depends on the edges of the pages – they are either pointed or straight,” she says.