Accordion books are such an abstract concept of a “book”. They can be very overwhelming if not approached correctly, whether you’ve the viewer or the artist. I’m not sure whether its the folding or the lack of a true spine, but something about an accordion book puts people off their rhythm. They don’t know how to hold it, let alone open it. There is a hint of delicacy to this concept of books I suppose…but in reality how “rough” are we on books anyway? I’m not sure how many people really hold a paperback or hardback book by just the cover or just one page, are people really that careless? If so, then I suppose I understand their ignorance toward this new type of book, but I honestly think there’s something more to these books.
When someone is studying for a test, a common method of studying is “flashcards”. I think of an accordion book in the same way. I also think of accordion books as a special type of scrapbook or journal where you can store things away for later, and then open up your book, unfold it, and see all of it at once, or flip the pages one by one. The fluidity of an accordion book is truly baffling to me, it can be anything from fabric, to cardboard, to printer paper, to thick cardstock….quite literally anything can be made into an accordion book!
I’ve made a few accordion books in the past, but they were all very simple, or plainer. They were just peaks and valleys, which is nice and even sometimes the more complementary option for a book…..but this time around I’m attempting something a little more visually interesting. Is it actually more complicated? No, it’s really not. I’m going to work with Turkish folds and their collapsibility. Turkish folds probably have as much folding as a standard fold for accordion books, but they look much more different than a typical book, and that’s what I want to play with. After this project, I want to try and make the areas which “pop-out” even bigger, or make the design a bit more complicated to allow for even more sheets of paper to be added? Overall, I’m going to fill my pages with various drawings, polaroids, doodles, ticket stubs, pressed flowers…I haven’t exactly figured it all out yet, but it’s going to be handled tastefully and simply so as to NOT overwhelm the viewer.
EL 230: Small Press Publishing 
I really like that you brought up why accordion books aren’t popular, but your comparison of flashcards actually helped it make more sense to me. I also like the ideas you’re using for your own accordion book, and I can’t wait to see the Turkish fold in person!
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I love the idea of the Turkish fold- it looks so cool! I also really like how you mentioned being careful not to make the book so complicated that it becomes visually overstimulating. I think that’s important, especially if you have so many ideas for one project. That way the pattern of the folds won’t distract the viewer from the content and vice versa. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
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I think there’s something to your idea of the fragility of the accordion causing it to be an unpopular form of book making, but I think there’s more to why they aren’t as popular than just that. After all, people like old books, even collect them, and lots of those are more fragile than accordion books. Maybe the form of book isn’t as popular because there’s a sense that books have to be formal, and the accordion book could be perceived as a “casual” form of book making.
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Comparing the accordion book to something like flashcards is really smart, and it makes so much sense! It really is the kind of book that you can flip through and get as much out of it as you possibly can in only a few pieces of paper. The Turkish folds look and sound so cool, and the pictures you shared make them appear so visually appealing. Can’t wait to see what you make with them!
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While I do think it’s important to challenge a reader, I prefer to think of a unique structure like this Turkish accordion book as a means of inviting them to be challenged rather than intimidating them.
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I like how you describe the typical reader’s delicate approach to accordion books, it makes me wonder how the average reader would handle your Turkish fold book, especially since it’s not only so different from the usual books readers are used to, but even from the most basic form of accordion book. I am excited to see how you incorporate the form and your content into your book!
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