Discarded paperbacks become the site of a scientific experiment in Alexis Arnold’s “Crystallized Books” sculpture series. Inspired by the ways that ebooks and websites have replaced the way many people consume information, Arnold began scavenging thrown-away books and periodicals. She grows Borax crystals on old novels, National Geographic issues, and manuals, turning the functional objects into fragile artifacts. As the crystals form, they re-shape the books’ pages, forcing Arnold to relinquish control of how the final product turns out.
San Francisco based artist