Artist's book. Concertina folded pages, printed, with cut overlay on one side.

"As a part of a coalition of book artists and An Inventory of al-Mutanabbi Street bookarts project I created the concertina book 'tea and water pipe' in response to the senseless bombing of the booksellers' street in Baghdad. I became overwhelmed with sadness for those who have lost friends and loved ones as a result of such a horrific event. It is an unimaginable grief. Two layers of paper are bound together to create small architectural spaces that are visible through die cut windows. A fictional character resides in this space, within the text. Each page of the concertina contains one brief thought. A weekly ritual of tea and water pipe. A celebration of friendship. A lament for a departed friend. As one mourns in silence, the text becomes nearly invisible. What begins with two friends sharing tea and a waterpipe ends with one friend alone, in mourning, over tea and waterpipe, continuing the ritual he and his friend once cherished. The back side of the concertina contains randomly selected pages of poetry by al-Mutanabbi, but no complete poem. Like the rebuilt booksellers' street, these fragments of poetry have been put back together to create something new, but there will always be a part that is missing."--Information provided by the artist.

Die cut and handtrimmed vellum, inkjet printing on 250gsm Rives BFK.

Limited edition of 10 copies.

Gift; Beau Beausoleil; 2019-2020.