Faculty
We have all grown up with books. For many of us they are a comfortable, familiar object, seen every day and given little thought. In my work I try to make objects that make the viewer look at this everyday object in a new way. As a bookbinder I am both artist and artisan. Whether it’s matching the tone of paper weathered by the ages or evoking the text of a book with layering images in and on a leather cover, tradition and modernity are married in my work. For most people, books are commonplace, cheap, replaceable things that are often treated quite poorly. This was not always the case, and by embracing traditional techniques and methods the book is elevated to not only a magnificent object, but also one far more durable than a mass produced paperback. Each object we use has a hidden history. By interacting with my art it is my hope that viewers will begin to think not only about the book, but all the tools we use all the time.
Low Mountain Bindery is the shop of Colin Hill Urbina, located in the Fort Point neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Colin has been studying books since 2002, and has been a professional bookbinder since 2011. He is a proud alum of Hampshire College, Simmons College’s GSLIS program, and the North Bennet Street School. In addition to those degrees, he has taken workshops with a variety of talented and innovative binders. In his shop he makes and repairs books, crafts boxes to hold special books, and spends his spare time doodling.