Ruta Korshunova
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Rutabook project
RUTABOOK grew out of a very personal story. A friend of mine, Sergei, was deeply involved in making handmade paper and hoped to develop this work further. After his sudden death, his parents gave me all of his equipment and asked me, if I could, to continue what he had started. Gradually, I learned the processes of papermaking and bookbinding and began creating my own books.
Because combining papermaking, bookmaking, drawing, and full-time work was almost impossible, the idea of turning it into a collaborative project emerged. I began inviting young artists whose work I had discovered and liked on social media, creating an individual handmade book for each of them. Within six months, the project brought together twenty participants, including myself. I created the website, handled the organization and promotion, and later presented RUTABOOK in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv.
For some of the participants, the project became one of their first important steps toward a professional career in illustration. This section brings together the books created by the original RUTABOOK artists — a project dedicated to Sergei’s memory and born from his passion for paper and the wish to keep creating. https://rutabook.tumblr.com/