The book of healing

Handmade paper olfactory and light-sensitive installation from cellulose derived from the remnants of herbal blends.

Installation with an intense scent of herbal mixtures.

Installation consisting of 2 large scale, semi-transparent handmade paper objects
Material: cellulose from 'expired', shared and discarded herbs (from herbal mixtures for various ailments)
Technique: handmade paper, own technique
Dimensions of each object: W: 4,5 m x L: 6 m and W: 4,5 m x L: 6 m
Dimensions of two objects together (before folding): W: 9 m x L: 6 m

Different arrangements and forms of installation are possible.
For transportation, each handmade paper can be folded into a cube with dimensions ca.: W: 50 cm x L: 60 cm x H: 20 cm

*Installation has been created without using any paper pulp dyeing.
To obtain the colours, Barbara Mydlak used her own technique for processing plant materials and preserving specific plant pigments, which is the subject of her research for several years now.


Interaction with the installation, video by Barbara Mydlak, recorded at DACCA Loft Cultuurcentrum in Temse, Belgium

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These two large-scale papers are the result of two different performances that took place within different exhibitions.
The object on the left was created during the ‘Wake I’ performance at BLANCO, Coupure Rechts 308 in Ghent and the one on the right during the ‘Wake II’ performance at the exhibition ‘Grond-Stof’ at DACCA Loft Cultuurcentrum, Vlietdam 19 in Temse, Belgium.

Along with the process of creating this herbal installation by Barbara Mydlak, Yann Deval with his project cyclopaedia.sessions composed two albums of musical improvisations.

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Special thanks to:

Artists of the 'Grond-Stof' exhibition: Sonja Geens, Maaike Huys, Malvine Marichal, Inge Roggeman, Bernadette Vandecatsye, Gert Van Dessel

Katarzyna Śmiałowicz, Bartosz Przybylak
Tomoko Yoshida, Christophe Monchalin
Magdalena Janas, Katarzyna Rutkowska

Józef Maksymiec, Jan Maksymiec
Emilia Szymańska, Piotr Szymański
Yann Deval

BLANCO, NUCLEO, Jonas Nachtergaele
DACCA-Loft Cultuurcentrum Temse
to both exhibitions visitors and performances participants

and especially, to every person who shared the remnants of their herbal blends