The first summer residency project of 2012 at CBPA ran like clockwork, and the resulting edition is both engaging and elegant.

Cathy Mooses’ project proposal was to create a limited edition of XI/SHEE, the result of a long term research project Cathy had conducted both on and off site of the Otomí amaté papermaking community in San Pablito, Mexico. The project was envisioned as an artist’s book with eleven inkjet photographs taken in the community and eleven corresponding laser cut layers on paper.

The total of thirteen signatures were to be sewn together in a french link stitch, and cased in a modified jaconette binding. Mooses and MFA candidate Kate Morgan collaborated on nearly all aspects of the production, taking turns printing the photographs, folding and punching the cut and printed book signatures, and binding the edition. The final piece is 50 pages in all, including one inset laser cut sheet of handmade amaté paper inside the book, and the total edition size is five.

“I had a great experience working with Cathy,” said Kate. “We were able to bounce ideas off one another whilst planning the final production stages, and it was a lot of fun to work on such an engaging project. The final edition looks beautiful, and I was happy to be involved with the project.”