Which of your works feels particularly special to you?
In 2017, I created a unique edition entitled Two Sides of a Page, an anthology of works by blind poets living in St. Petersburg with illustrations by blind artists. Traditional print was complemented by Braille script, thus creating both a visible and an invisible side for every reader, blind or sighted.
Why did you swap teaching biology for making books?
It was heartbreaking to watch the country’s education system falling apart, so I thought I’d find a more sensible way of putting my explorer’s skills to practical use. Thankfully, it turned out to be a very creative way, too.
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What draws you to bookbinding?
For me this is just a different form of being an explorer, a researcher. Ultimately, what's essential is to push boundaries and dissect topics. When I make books I investigate the borders of human understanding of different issues. It is a thrill.
Can you give an example of that?
In my edition of Joseph Brodsky’s The Hawk’s Cry In Autumn, the case is made from ash wood in the form of a musical instrument with one string. When you take the book out of the case you create a sound. It is a symbol of Brodsky’s poetry as a virtuoso performance on a single string.