The Wundercabinet

Barbara Hodgson and Claudia Cohen. The Wundercabinet. Vancouver: Heavenly Monkey, 2011.

The 16th to 18th century European practice of privately collecting natural history objects and cultural curiosities and showcasing the material in eccentrically curated “cabinets of wonder” has enjoyed a recent resurgence of interest in academic and artistic circles.  Drawing upon this tradition--the precursor to modern museums--along with the revival of artisanal bookmaking, contemporary book artists Hodgson and Cohen constructed their own series of personal wunderkammers.  This limited edition set features a handmade book on the subject and a unique assortment of objects culled from the authors’ own collections of “curiosities.”

Link: Publisher Heavenly Monkey Press’s listing for The Wundercabinet.