Body of Evidence (2020) is an artist’s book that examines the role of documentary evidence in defining national and individual identity. The red, white, and blue of the printing and binding echo a national story, viewed from the perspective of an immigrant, with quotations from Rebecca Solnit, Emily Dickinson, William James, Agnes Martin, and Fernando Pessoa. In this online event, Ana Paula Cordeiro, the creator of Body of Evidence, speaks from the workshop in New York City where she created produced it.
We open the conversation by examining the book’s unique structure, moving on to consider the questions posed by the book’s theme. What qualifies as a document? When does a document become evidence? And what does this evidence prove about an individual or a nation? How can an individual’s narrative assert their integrity in face of dehumanization? The conversation will be launched after a live presentation of the copy of this book now in the Bodleian.
Originally from Brazil, Cordeiro is based in New York and composes her book works at The Center for Book Arts in New York City, from where she will speak. In 2020 she was awarded a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Her artist books are collected privately and institutionally.
This event is open to all. There will be opportunities for questions.
This is a book Arts programme from the Bodleian Libraries Centre for the Study of the Book, presented in part by Center for Book Arts. Supported by a generous donation to the Bodleian Bibliographical Press.