Ben Buonaiuto & Sage Billig

Several years ago, Sage stumbled upon a manual about hand-bound books. A professional jeweler of 10 years, she was looking for a new way of expressing herself. Ben, a sculptor and photographer, was looking for a way to merge his interests. We were both intrigued by the possibilities bookbinding offered. Beginning with ideas from that fateful text, we soon moved on to our own designs, finding new ways to construct an object that fulfills the definition of ‘book’: a series of pages brought together and ended by covers.

We find excitement and satisfaction in successfully combining ancient binding techniques with experimental forms. What we strive for in this combination is an innovative, well crafted object that holds the substance and history of a traditional book, yet allows us the freedom of self-expression. This fusion also shows in the materials we choose to work with. Our pages are always made from quality, acid-free printmakers paper and our covers are constructed from acid-free book board. We use mostly silk or linen to bind our books, but also incorporate synthetic fibers, leather cord and wires in our designs. We spend long hours indulging our habit of picking through flea-markets to find rusty tools, antique photos and magazines, old milk bottle caps, dominoes and other fascinating objects that we combine with metal, wood, and fine papers from around the world to form the covers and bindings for our books.

We work together in the studio, both involved in all parts of the creation of our pieces. At times, one of us will design a piece and then hand it to the other to execute, adding to the design in the process of making it. Sometimes we design together, letting a piece grow as we work. Other times our collaboration is a dialogue about a piece that one of us is working on.

Beyond the studio, but feeding right back into it, we are both avid travelers who love good food and uproarious laughter. Sage brings a love of gardening and literature to our lives and Ben brings a mind full of music and the abstractions of physics. We hope that some of this comes through our work in a way that is meaningful, joyful, or simply pleasing to the eye.