Some of the material was scavenged from recycling bins on campus. Several moving boxes came from Cristian Medina, a geologist and IU graduate student.
All of it was being cut and measured to become the spine of artwork.
“We combine recycled material and man-made material with the work of our hands to produce these books,” Medina said, showcasing the finished product, a book entitled “Heroin and other Poems” by ?Leopoldo María Panero.
Medina, Paul Guillén and Giancarlo Huapaya founded the non-profit organization Cardboard House Press in order to promote the publication of literature and art through community.
The bilingual books are written in both Spanish and English and consist of a printed cover wrapping the cardboard and 18 black and white pages.
“We came up with the idea after we started talking about poetry and books and creating a movement that interacts and engages,” ?Medina said.
Over the past three weeks, volunteers cut about 100 covers. They hope to have the first batch of books finished in November.
The books will be for sale at Boxcar Books in Bloomington as well as online at amazon.com .
Medina estimates the final price will be around $10 each, but it’s too soon to say for sure.
All proceeds will go toward making more books.
“Each book we see as an art piece,” Medina said. “Making 700 books is a lot of work. But being around each other, working together, it’s very stimulating.”
Isabella and Ameer Beitvashahi, parents of two, cut cardboard across the table from each other.
“I want to share with him a sense of my culture,” Isabella said, explaining that her mother is Mexican. “We are trying to do something that helps the community. It’s a combination of arts and crafts and speaking Spanish, it’s perfect. Hopefully this is something we will do at our house one day.”
She held up a finger she pricked while cutting.
“I’m literally putting my blood and DNA into it,” she said.
Medina has plenty of big ideas for the organization. Cardboard House Press is also working on a collection called Catalina’s Bells , a series of five Latin American poetry books showcasing work from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain.
Currently, about five volunteers help make the projects possible, but Medina and Huapaya said they are always looking for more help.
“You just have to be old enough to cut safely,” Medina said with a laugh.
