Artist Lee's works show books can be made just for you

Bookbinding artist Lee Bo-young poses with samples of her work in her studio in Seoul, June 27. / Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeong

By Kim Se-jeong

An ongoing exhibition at the French cultural center shows how personalized a book can be.

The exhibition on bookbinding by Lee Bo-young showcases five books with a tailor-made cover. The work is different from book design which involves design of each single page in the book.

"However, you should know the topic of the book or the contents to come up with the right color and material," said Lee, a bookbinding artist.

The most exciting work is a book with an inbuilt audio device on the cover. The book is a collection of French fables, and she recorded all the stories. "I had a French person read stories and recorded him."

The work of bookbinding is divided into two parts.

Binding pages together is rather a simple act of labor.

The second part is more creative process selecting the right material, color and design for the book cover. "Material can be leather, a piece of paper or the combination of the two," Lee said. To make it more creative, she gilds the title, sometimes.

Her clients vary and share commonalities: books they bring are for a small circulation or for preservation purposes.

Hanwha Group approached her with a photo catalog about the leader of the company.

Other clients include a university student with a copy of a dissertation, and a publisher which wished to restore a poetry book by the late poet Seo Jeong-ju.

"I had one girl who came with love letters," she said.

Lee's recent project is an antique book on the Korean language with weather-worn cover.

A bookbinding artist by training, she learnt her skills in France. She got a national certificate from French government in 2009.

In 2011, she opened her studio in Insa-dong in which she teaches individual students who are interested in bookbinding.

In Korea, giving a book a tailor-made appearance is an unexplored area. She said she feels lack of awareness when she approaches prospective customers such as libraries, museums and newspaper companies.

"There's not much interest yet, but I believe it will grow," she said.

Yet, this makes her a true pioneer, which she enjoys. But this means costly work. "I have to import a lot of the materials from France."

Asked about her motivation, she only said it instantly grabbed her attention when she saw a bookbinding workshop in Paris in 2005.

"It is still very exciting to me. I want to make this my life-long passion."

The exhibition will open until the end of July. On July 10, she will demonstrate her work at the cultural center. For more information, visit her website www.boyounglee.com.

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