Altered Books and Gifts

“How does our engagement with altered books respond to Hyde and allow for you to explore your thoughts and ideas in the place of books/words within your life?

By Kathryn Valentini

In Chapter five, “The Gift Community,” Hyde discusses the concept of ideas spreading freely, or more likely, not spreading freely within the current scientific community. Hyde writes that it is possible for ideas to “move as gifts,” (103), and thus transform from just an idea to a gift becoming beneficial for all members of the scientific community. However, he cautions that if “ideas do not circulate freely…they are treated as commodities” (107). Therefore, a fine line is drawn between the way in which ideas are used to further a common goal or beneficial outcome for a community.

When I first began reading the sections of “The Gift” that I would be using to help me respond to this prompt, I was struggling to find where our altered books would fall into the spectrum of gift and commodity. Certainly, we had all bought the books we were using, which would mean that at least initially, they were commodities and not gifts, However, once Hyde began discussing the possibility that ideas themselves could be considered gifts, I began to see that perhaps that is how it related to our altered books. Therefore, assuming that the ideas that we put into our altered books, (which we then shared with one another while presenting our books), could be considered the sharing of ideas, I would go so far as to even suggest that our ideas moved as gifts between one another. Hyde also writes that “it is the cardinal difference between gift and commodity exchange that a gift established a feeling-bond between two people, while the sale of a commodity leaves no necessary connection” (72). Based off the reactions amongst our group as we showed one another the ideas we had come up with for our altered books, I would argue that there was a “established feeling-bond,” and not just between two people, but among all of us in the group. The way Alexandria and I connected over how difficult it was to do this assignment and alter a book; between the way everyone responded to Melissa’s beautiful designs and creative artwork; and also to how we all responded to how much hard work Josh clearly put into his assignment. This assignment seemed to unite all of us through a mutual experience and a sharing of ideas; ideas that we can now take and incorporate into the altered books we create for our final project.

I think more than anything, our final altered book project will really allow us to engage in the words within the books we choose, as we will be engaging in a dialogue with those books more so than we did with this first assignment. However, we were all able to unleash a creative side of our minds and ideas that some of us may not frequently explore, allowing us to explore those thoughts and ideas within the confines of the books we selected. Each book also had some significance or meaning to the person who selected that work to use, and influenced how we altered the books.

I think this was a fun way to explore books, and also connect how Hyde believes we can continue the process of gift giving through ideas.

Gifts and Abundance

How does Lauren’s work at Paper Connection International fit within our discussions on Hyde and the role of art/artists?

By Dana Siska

Hyde describes art as a gift exchange, in which it is able to become a story as opposed to a possession hoarded by others. With the expectation to pass it on, a gift is always in motion and when it stops, it loses value. Additionally, once society places a value on a gift, such as art, it loses a special quality that it had when it was part of the exchange. In this system of hoarding and fetishizing money, art is assigned a value and the artist becomes a celebrity. As we have learned from Lauren at Paper Connection International, those who are engaged in making handmade Japanese paper do not operate in this way. Making handmade paper, a part of Japanese culture, is a lengthy and grueling process, and also an art form in itself. The famous picture of the man engaged with the papermaking process depicts just how laboring it is. He is “giving birth” to something that is meant to be shared, and is receiving spiritual fertility as opposed to celebrity status. Others have been trained to carry on the tradition, and others like Lauren and our class, can carry it on by preserving the art of handmade paper into the future.

Through becoming educated at Paper Connection International and monetarily supporting the art by purchasing paper, we can continue to feed the gift giving system. I was shocked at how inexpensive all the beautiful paper was, and also how different yet functional the paper could be. Inside and outside the classroom, we can incorporate the paper we purchased into gift giving projects, such as the book assignment that we will be partaking in during the semester. I think we received a number of ideas at Paper Connection International on how to give paper as a gift. Through this giving we will find abundance, which Hyde would call the paradox of giving.

Below are images from our creative process with our animals and their habitat

Guidelines for Critique Sessions

Guidelines for Critique Sessions on Writing

We discussed that rules are sometimes meant to be broken, and that it would be important to revisit these guidelines periodically to make sure they are still working for the group.

Also, because we are using this as a blog entry, respondents/readers and writers/authors can use this space to comment on process as we move throughout the semester, in terms of what is working and what might be tweaked.

Guidelines:

·     Readers will read the writing prior to class and will make notes about areas of the writing that need clarification or improvement. Either makes notes on rough draft, or track changes in MSWord and make a copy for author. Make sure reader’s name is on the form so the author can ask for clarification questions outside of class.

·     At the beginning of the session, communication from writers about what feedback is needed should be given in very general terms. Opening comments can provide brief context.

·     Writers will not apologize for their writing, qualify their writing, or make excuses about their writing. No hedging.

·     Writers will NOT speak while the responders are giving feedback and discussing the writing. However, writers may ask brief clarifying questions, if necessary.

·     Writers will not quarrel with responders, and will keep an open mind about the changes and suggestions that responders make.

Comment Format: Pro-Con-Final Comments is a good way to provide feedback: start and end the feedback given with a positive comment. The Final Comments function as the reader’s summary of what worked and needed work.

Respondents will carefully keep in mind the distinction between being rude and being honest.

Responders will experiment with other methods of feedback (like metaphors, for example).

Paper Formatting Rules: Papers will be double-spaced and in font-size of 12 point and standard margins.

Screenplay/narrative: 12-15 pages

Research: 5-7 pages

Poems: 3-4 poems

Blog entries: 2-3 entries

Gifts the Give

By Dana Siska

When Hyde speaks of a product, it is seen as a commodity. The artistic product is consumed by one and is never seen or traded. This role can deteriorate the idea of gifts, and once an exchanged item is now a level of value. The item is held onto and loses any kind of essence of a gift. The gift “Cannot move… The person who tries to hold on usually dies”(Hyde, 5-9). In order to have a true gift, it must be free of value and ever -moving. In terms of artistic gifts, “the gifted artist contains the vitality of his gift within the work” (Hyde, 33). The gifts are creating a cycle that is “available to others” (Hyde, 33). These exchanges will remain gifts until a value is created, which could be inevitable.

As a marketing major, my role in society is to receive a well-paying job so I can create sales opportunities which, in turn, creates more money for myself and the company. I am trained to be a well-oiled machine to create a service for a company that rewards me with something that I can use in exchange for other goods. These products are then later consumed and never seen again. Consumerism in the United States fails to create the lasting ripple of gift-giving. Hyde argues that “The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation..it must always move” (Hyde xxi-4).Connections and services end once the consumer uses the product and thus kills a fulfillment of any gift. In terms of leaving a footprint behind and a work of art on Bryant Campus, my novel that is currently being written was an inspiration from the painting above. Zdzislaw Beksinski’s gift of artwork can be seen by anyone from online, in Polish museums, or through reprints that can be located on Amazon. His gift continues to keep giving and inspire others to exchange gifts in cycle.