Meg Guttman
The Lost Weekend
H 9.5", W 6.5", D 1.25"
$300
The Lost Weekend is the sixth in a series of re-made books which I started in 2013. The cover and spine of each book is reproduced exactly; the interior pages are collages which incorporate text/pictures from the original, along with words and images from many sources. The entire piece is printed on ink-jet printer fabric and bound by hand. This time I decided to work with the 1944 novel (which was made into a movie starring Ray Milland and directed by Billy Wilder). It was a new challenge to convey the plot and characters in a series of collages, especially taking into account that not every viewer would be familiar with the book. The novel contains a wealth of vivid description and visual images, so I felt that I had a lot to work with. As much as I admire the movie, I was also interested in illustrating aspects of the story that couldn’t be depicted in that era—in particular, the protagonist’s struggle with his sexuality, and the unhappy (and more realistic) ending.
All of my previous pieces were based on instructional texts from the early-to-mid-20th century, on subjects ranging from swimming to sex, flower arranging to relaxation. decided to work with the 1944 novel (which was made into a movie starring Ray Milland and directed by Billy Wilder). It was a new challenge to convey the plot and characters in a series of collages, especially taking into account that not every viewer would be familiar with the book. The novel contains a wealth of vivid description and visual images, so I felt that I had a lot to work with. As much as I admire the movie, I was also interested in illustrating aspects of the story that couldn’t be depicted in that era—in particular, the protagonist’s struggle with his sexuality, and the unhappy (and more realistic) ending.