Tips and Tricks With Italian Fine Binding Maestro
DATES: November 2, 2016
Wednesday 10am – 4pm
WHERE: The Center for Book Arts
28 W. 27th Street, third floor
New York, NY 10001
FEE: $120 members / $135 non-members
(includes materials)
REGISTER: online here or call CBA (212) 481-0295
The class will cover the steps of French fine binding with a focus on perfecting bench techniques. Topics include toolmaking, nuances of working with various types of leathers, gilding and finishing techniques, and more. In addition, Castiglioni will discuss practical aspects of setting up a studio and managing a bindery as a business, include marketing and self-promotion, connecting with clients, and using technology to speed up daily tasks.
That same evening, he will give a slide show lecture that will walk us through the creation of a particular fine binding from design idea through execution. Witness and enjoy the making of an original creation.
Wednesday November 2, 6:30 – 8 pm. free event
Luigi Castiglioni will share with participants the process of binding an important “livre de peintre” in the French tradition. Using images from his recent project creating a binding for a copy of Jaime Sabartès’s Dans l’Atelier de Picasso, with 6 original lithographies of Pablo Picasso and 30 reproductions, the presentation will cover the full process from the design stage through the final finishing techniques.
Castiglioni began bookbinding at the age of 19 and hasn’t stopped since. He completed the program in 2006 at Centro del Bel Libro in Switzerland under the Master Bookbinder Edwin Heim. Later he studied with Jean-luc Honegger, where he perfected binding in box calf. He returned to Italy to study gold tooling at the Atelier of Hélène Jolis, and later traveled to England to master edge gilding working under Julian Thomas. Since 1999 Castiglioni has lived in Rimini, working out of his atelier, Anonima Amanvensis. In 2005 he exhibited 30 bindings at the Antiquarian bookseller Fata Libelli in Paris. For the past ten years he has worked exclusively for collectors, while continuing to research and develop innovative techniques. Castiglioni is considered one of the premier fine binders working in Europe. His bindings are characterized by a fusion of traditional crafts with contemporary technologies and electronic media. His process blends the pure spirit of an artisan-craftsman, with the working habits of an efficient binder. Castiglioni’s recent work includes non-traditional bindings, sculptural books, and collaborative projects with engravers and painters. His website can be seen here.
Guild of Book Workers 