Artist Crafts Three-Dimensional Narratives from Antique Books

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

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The best thing about a great book is being able to visualize the written tales in your mind, but British artist Emma Taylor takes storytelling to the next level by making the scenes pop from their pages. She crafts incredible sculptures from old books she finds at charity and antique stores, giving discarded titles a new lease of life.

“Book sculpture is my creative outlet to highlight an appreciation of the little things in life,” Taylor tells My Modern Met. “A good book, a beautiful tree, a flower in full bloom.” From a ship sailing through paper waves to forests springing up from centerfolds, each artfully crafted piece is inspired by the stories in the original book. “With my scissors, glue and paper, and led by the title of the books I chance upon in antique and charity shops,” the artist explains, “I am able to recreate plants, animals, architecture and literary scenes with all the details I love on a manageable scale.”

Taylor began book sculpting when she was still in school and has exhibited her paper creations in London and Hong Kong, and has even appeared on British TV channel ITV. After deciding to take a break from sculpting to concentrate her efforts on her History of Art degree, Taylor soon found herself drawn back to her passion. She reveals, “I have realized that actually I am very happy book sculpting and so am back with scissors and glue in hand once more.”

Scroll down to see some of Taylor’s fantastic book sculptures and check out more from her growing portfolio on her website.

Artist Emma Taylor crafts incredible book sculptures from discarded novels.

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Each artfully crafted piece is inspired by the stories in the original book.

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Book Sculptures by Emma Taylor

Emma Taylor: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Etsy

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Emma Taylor.

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation.
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