| Title | New Orleans Voodoo |
| Artist / Creator | Meryl Perloff |
| Press Name | Meryl Perloff Book Arts |
| Artist's Nationality | United States |
| Place of Publication | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Publication Date | 2014 |
| Subject | Religion |
| Contributors | Deborah Denker, photographer of finished work |
| Process / Technique | Digitally printed text on vellum over pochoir printed pages |
| Structure / Binding | Three dimensional structure with accordion book binding |
| Medium / Materials | Binders board, Museum board, Washi papers, vellum, bone, corked glass containers, wooden pickup sticks, tassel, wood feet, gesso, acrylic paint |
| Paper Stock | Canson Classic Cream 90# Drawing paper |
| Number of Pages | 6 pages in booklet |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 4.5 x 10.5 x 3.5 inches. Extends out to 19.5 inches |
| Edition Size | Unique |
| Signed & Numbered | Yes |
As a New Orleans native, I was immersed in the diversity of cultures in this panoptic community. It seemed that the more removed from the familiar, the more valued the attraction for residents as well as visitors. The colorful rituals combined with the beat of faraway African rhythms and the dervish-like dancing caught the attention of a fun-loving population as well as opportunistic entrepreneurs. A brush with a largely unfamiliar but colorful practices proved attractive for all who dared explore it and the inevitable corruption of its purity took place in forms never conceived by the faithful. Brought to New Orleans through the slave trade over a century ago, Voodoo is often misrepresented as a practice of some kind of black magic with spell-casting abilities for evil gain. In its purest form, Voodoo is a religion focused on healing and promoting well-being in people's lives. It welcomes all practitioners and is a closely related community.
Artist Bio
Meryl Perloff delights in creating unique sculptural forms as artists' books. Devising structures that create a visual dialog with the observer engages the artist in a process that is both private and public. Humor, fantasy, and elements of surprise encourage the viewer to interpret content in ways not previously imagined. Objects that pivot and rotate invite interest and add enthusiasm for discovery. The delivery of information in non-traditional forms inspires the artist to seek connections with viewers by expanding the realm of the familiar.