We just sent the files off to the printer for our first book! It's called:
Introducing Red Fred Bodoni & The Jolly Troop
(hard name to conjure, eh?)
Thought you'd like to see a few sample spreads. Measuring 7"x7", it's 56 colorful pages of pure jolly! Since we are publishing independently with Blurb, we'll let you know when the book has hatched so you can snatch one up. We like your eyes.
Magnus and Yvette were in cahoots planning a trip between two bookend holidays in July: Independence Day and Bastille Day. Magnus wanted to recite the Declaration of Independence in an all-American place, but Yvette wanted something with a French flair. They put their minds together, roped in some recruits and stormed The Jefferson Memorial !
Yvette and Edward took 14 minutes (for le quatorze juillet) discussing the Ionic columns. "Surely they wouldn't be as great without the egg-and-dart ornamentals," Yvette mused. "Perhaps," paused Edward, "but I still prefer Corinthian." A wide-eyed Silus shook his head and mumbled something about being imprisoned.
Roman and Magnus were struck by its similarities to The Pantheon and The Rotunda. Penny found a precarious place and thought about the balance between independence and freedom.
Yvette swoons for T. J. because he was a minister to France; Penny has a weakness for polymaths, in general.
Caught in the coffers above T. J., the boys thought about "tyranny over the mind of man."
Did you know that T. J. is considered the author of The Declaration of Independence?
Did you know that T. J. was governor of Virginia, U.S. minister to France, Secretary of State (under Washington), Vice President (under Adams), and President of the United States? Did you know he was also the Father of The University of Virginia ? Did you know T. J. was a botanist, an architect, and started the Library of Congress with his own collection of books?
The colonnade was perfect for Huckle Buckle Beanstalk and rounds of Frère Jacques.
Magnus thought it would be better to hear The Declaration of Independence recited by its author than by him. The others agreed. So, T. J. recited the entire thing, right there in the memorial. Of course, Magnus mouthed the entire thing – just to prove a point.
Roman and Edward tried identifying the typeface used on the wall panels throughout the memorial. Do you know what it is?
To avoid another world war, the girls took their squabbling — about who T. J. liked more — outdoors. They conceded to share liking privileges, which granted them each cooing rights whenever they visited. T. J. approved of their resolution method: good debate and discussion backed with reason.
As the Troop made its final rounds around the memorial, they felt T. J.'s firework-phrasing sink in. Maybe it was an unseen jet stream or maybe it was the timely, echoing words, but the flight home seemed less strenuous and more like a pursuit of happiness.
Yvette has been missing her Monmartre balcony and "It misses me, too," she said, "We have a very unique relationship." While she was trying to explain it, we came upon a curious art gallery on Bergen Street: The Invisible Dog. "Sounds like a dangerous place for a couple of birds," I said. Yvette pulled me in mumbling something about "no appreciation for art."
We entered into a star-conspiracy of sorts because we were greeted by a cardinal-looking fellow floating on a dog leash. "Bonjour! My name is Pascal Effloresce and this is The Invisible Dog." I blinked a few times, trying to see the dog. Yvette seemed to recognize it immediately.
Pascal started showing us around the art center. I couldn't help thinking: seeing and understanding art can sometimes appear to be an obstacle. "Seeing takes more than your eyes," Pascal mused.
OBSTACLE by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD
Yvette saw some extraordinary textile lamps. She flew around them like a fairy reciting Helen Keller:
We differ, blind and seeing, one from another, not in our senses, but in the use we make of them, in the imagination and courage which we seek wisdom beyond our senses.
TEXTILE LAMPS by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD
Did you know this chandelier was made from found buckles left behind in the factory? Did you know chandelier is a French would that means "something that holds candles"?
MINI CHANDELIER by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD
This artist saw a universe made of canvas belts. What do you see the universe in?
FABRIC OF COSMOS by IAN TRASK
The distance from Purgatory to Heaven seemed more realistic when Pascal flew to the top of the industrial elevator shaft and began reading verses from Divine Comedy. Yvette and I agreed: Mr Alighieri would have enjoyed this.
CHARON by GIUSEPPE STAMPONE
We must have channeled Nino Frank because we saw a perfect opportunity to re-create a film noir scene in the basement. Two boys just can't pass up the chance to make a girl cry.
Once Yvette recovered, we flew back up to the main level to a sea of books. We took a few minutes thinking about the amount of art created from texts, poems, and books. Do you think writers are like muses for artists? Yvette shared another quote, this time by Annie Dillard:
She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live. She read books as one would breathe ether, to sink in and die.
JOB CREATION IN A BAD ECONOMY by ANTONIA WRIGHT AND RUBEN MILLARES [DETAIL]
How often do we misunderstand something because we don't see it from both sides?
TELPERION by ETHAN LONG [DETAIL]
Aren't you glad the French love their gardens?
When we swept back through the exhibit to see anything we missed, I realized I had gained a better understanding of art and of seeing. Sometimes seeing the invisible is important. Sometimes seeing things differently opens your eyes to providence.
I asked Pascal whom he would bring to the gallery if time and circumstance didn't matter. "My mother, (she passed away in 2003) just to have coffee with her everyday at 11:00am." As my eyes teared, they opened and the most magical / strange thing happened: I could see The Invisible Dog with Yvette and Pascal. "Let's get moving," called Pascal, "the croissants are calling!"
The Invisible Doga
51 Bergen Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
www.theinvisibledog.org