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InspirationArt & Culture

Discarded books transformed into stunning sculptures that pay tribute to them

We all love a good book. The smell of the paper. The feel of the pages between our hands. The satisfaction we get when we begin a new story and see it through to the end. One woman who shares our love of books is Jacqueline Rush Lee. A Hawaii based artist from Northern Ireland, she makes sculptures out of old, discarded books and other materials to give them a new lease of life.

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Deep red flower sculpture made from pages of discarded books, with textured petals and a pale centre

Drawn to objects that record physical processes or bear imperfections and the scars of life, Jacqueline’s interest lies in the aesthetic of books as residual objects with histories of use and meaning.

She has used various techniques to create her artworks, taking inspiration from the nature of the books that she discovers. She has high-fired them in kilns. She has soaked, dried and screwed books together into tree-like forms. She's even immersed books in inks and rearranged their components to create book sculptures that tell a different story. Discover more over at www.jacquelinerushlee.com.

Via direct submission

Sculpture by Jacqueline Rush Lee made from discarded books with black and red pages fanned into an abstract curved form against a neutral background
Black book pages splayed and layered with red thread woven through them, forming a sculptural nest with a curved ivory-coloured object nestled at the centre
White sculptural form made from pages of discarded books arranged in radiating spines, creating an organic spherical shape against a neutral background
Spherical sculpture made from hundreds of stacked paper tubes and rolled pages from discarded books, with metallic eyelets visible throughout the layered structure
Sculptural form created from rolled pages of discarded books, revealing layered circular cross-sections with natural wood tones and a patterned fabric exterior in blue and red
Discarded book pages fanned out symmetrically in burgundy and white to form a butterfly-like sculptural shape by Jacqueline Rush Lee
A cube-shaped sculpture by Jacqueline Rush Lee made from compressed and bound discarded books with a copper-coloured top and grey-toned sides
Discarded book pages folded and sculpted into an abstract organic form with a gold-coloured circular opening at its centre
Cream-coloured sculptural form made from layered and textured discarded book pages, displayed on a white plinth
Sculptural form made from torn and folded pages of discarded books, resembling an organic tree-like structure with splayed, feathered elements in muted cream and brown tones
White sculptural form made from tightly bundled discarded book pages arranged in radiating spikes, creating an organic shell-like structure
Close-up of a sculptural form made from stacked pages of discarded books with their spines fanned outwards, creating a textured, organic ridge-like pattern
Cylindrical sculpture made from stacked and bundled sheets of patterned wallpaper and book pages, with textured edges revealing layered cross-sections against a grey background
Three sculptural forms made from rolled and folded pages of discarded books, arranged to resemble organic shapes with varying textures and tones of beige, blue and green
Red and black sculptural form with concentric circular wood grain patterns visible in cross-section, created from a transformed discarded book by Jacqueline Rush Lee
Sculptural form fashioned from charred book pages and materials, with a vibrant pink interior, resembling an abstract bird or organic shape
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