MIRROR by Jeannie Baker

 Mirror is a wordless picture book. It depicts two families- one in Sydney and the other in Morocco. Jeannie Baker presents beautiful collaged illustrations again in this unusual book.

The new and very different book by Jeannie Baker really is quite unique as this
demonstration of how to read through it shows... 

Artists statement:

The idea for this work came from my delight in travelling in a country very different from my own. At the time in my own country there was much political poisoning of attitudes towards foreigners and foreignness. But travelling alone in remote Morocco, a woman stranger myself, I was met with much friendliness and generosity from strangers. The idea for the work was right there: that outward appearances may be very different but the inner person of a stranger may not be a stranger at all. We all live to be loved by family and friends and to be part of a larger family, a community. Inwardly we are so alike that it could be each other we see when we look in a mirror.

The settings I chose for the families in the story are the Valley of Roses in southern Morocco and my home in Sydney, Australia. The images started as drawings. Using these drawings as a guide, I then made collages. These were constructed layer by layer on a wooden baseboard using a combination of natural and artificial materials such as sand, earth, clay, paints, vegetation, paper, fabric, wool, tin and plastic. The natural materials were preserved and fresh colouring added.
 

There are a set of 6 posters from the book, with teaching ideas on the back, available for $10.00     ISBN 978-1-921482-20-5 . 

Copies of the kit are available from Books Illustrated : 

Tel. +61 3 95347751 

Fax +61 3 96960893

info@booksillustrated.com.au

 Teaching notes for Mirror are available from Walker Books.

The Mirror exhibition was recently launched by the NSW Governor Marie Bashir, and
has a long list of tour dates but will be on at Museum of Sydney until 10 October.

Thanks to Jenny Connolly for sharing this information.