Penland is an interactive accordion-box artist's book constructed from folded paper using a structure inspired by Hedi Kyle's 

   innovative folding designs. Compact when closed, the piece expands into a series of interconnected compartments that reveal 

   carefully arranged natural specimens, found objects, handwritten notes, and small ephemera.

   The unfolding structure encourages viewers to explore the work one compartment at a time, discovering a sequence of 

   preserved artifacts that transform the book into a three-dimensional archive. Each section functions as both container and 

   composition, balancing texture, color, and scale while inviting close observation.

   Designed to be displayed either as a sculptural object on a shelf or as a wall-mounted work, Penland shifts between book, box, 

   and installation. Its architectural folds create changing rhythms of light and shadow as the piece is opened and viewed from 

   different angles, emphasizing the relationship between structure, collection, and discovery.

   Through the combination of paper engineering and carefully curated objects, Penland explores the artist's book as both a 

   functional form and a sculptural vessel, demonstrating how folded paper can preserve and present physical artifacts in ways that

    encourage curiosity, interaction, and contemplation. 

   Artist Statement

   Some places leave a lasting impression not because of a single extraordinary event, but because of the countless quiet

   moments that happen there. My time at Penland School of Craft was one of those experiences.

   I was fortunate to study artist books with Julie Chen of Flying Fish Press, whose innovative work has inspired book artists around 

   the world. Learning from her challenged me to think differently about what a book could be—not simply a collection of pages, 

   but a vessel capable of holding memories, experiences, and emotion.

   The campus itself became as much my teacher as the classroom. Each morning I woke to birds singing outside my window 

   before wandering the grounds on my way to class. In the cool mountain air, I found beauty everywhere I looked. A tiny clover 

   blossom. A rusty bolt. A reddish stone. A feather resting beside the path. A scrap of paper that had somehow found its way into 

   the landscape. I couldn't help but pick them up. They weren't valuable objects, but together they told the story of my days there.

   At the same time, I was exploring folded structures from Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold. One particular accordion box 

   immediately felt like the perfect home for my growing collection of small discoveries. Instead of pressing flowers into a journal 

   or placing keepsakes in a drawer, I wanted to create a book that would become a memory box—a place where each object 

   could continue telling its story.

   I chose yellow because it reminds me of the warmth and happiness I felt at Penland. It is the color of morning sunlight spilling

   across the campus, of creative energy, and of the joy that comes from spending time surrounded by artists who encourage 

   curiosity and experimentation.

   Today, Penland sits comfortably on a shelf or hangs on a wall as a sculptural object, but its real purpose is revealed when it is 

   opened. Each compartment holds a small fragment of a place that changed me. Together, those ordinary objects have become 

   something much greater—a reminder that the most meaningful souvenirs are often the simplest ones, and that the places we 

   love continue to shape us long after we leave them.

   Year: 2013

   Medium: Mixed media artist's book

   Structure: accordion box based on pattern from Hedi Kyle

   Materials: Archival papers, mixed media, found objects

   Dimensions:    closed      6” x 1.5” x 1.5”

                             open        1.5” x 9.5” x 6”

   Edition: Unique

   Status: Private Collection