Book Art: Folded Letters

I just saw this on Boing Boing. What a cool effect! Isaac Salazar, an accountant, describes himself on his Flickr profile:

I am someone who has never taken an art class in my life but have stumbled upon making Book Art / Book Origami. I didn’t think I had an artistic bone in my body and never thought of myself as creative. I had seen the Readers Digest christmas trees and wondered if it was possible to create a different design or use words.

I first started off doing simple letters, alternating pages for each fold but now I am doing more complex and intricate fonts. I use simple arithmetic and an exacto knife as my supplies along with lots of time. It takes me anywhere from a day for the simpler styles to 2 weeks for the more complex styles. I have recently ventured into logos and symbols and would like to pursue this area more.
My inspiration comes from multiple things and places. I can browse the used book section for titles that stand out to me. For example the recycle symbol was created on a book titled “A World with out Trees”.

I like to take a book that would otherwise end up in a landfill and turn it into art. Rarely do I use new books, unless I am commissioned to. I like to watch Planet Green, and am into alternative energy, recycling and repurposing so it’s a good feeling to know my art can contribute to reducing waste.

The results are beautifully sculptural. I wonder whether I can try something like this. What an inspiration! For those who don’t want to try creating their own book art, Isaac has an Etsy shop.

Am I the only one who is dying to run a fingernail over the pages to make them ripple?