Preview
Creation Date
Winter 2016
Description
Undergraduate student, year of graduation: 2020. Major: Architecture. Faculty: Judy Maloney.
Materials + Techniques
Right bond hardcover book, with removable "tab" binding to reveal as an accordion book. Materials: Strathmore Printing Paper, Book Cloth, Museum Board.
Measurements
h: 6", w: 7", d: 1.5"
Student Narrative
This artist book is inspired by the non-fiction book "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman. It is the story of Jan Żabiński, a Zookeeper of the Warsaw Zoo in Poland through the second World War. Following Warsaw’s bombing and the destruction of much of the zoo, Jan, and his wife, Antonina Żabińska, saved the lives of over 300 Jews by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto and hiding them in places throughout remaining parts of the zoo and in their the villa. The Jews were kept safe in the zoo until they were given fake identities, and escaped out of Poland. One of the unique aspects of this story is how the Jewish refugees were given animal code names as they were hidden in the zoo, and they lived along side the remaining animals from the zoo, who had human names. Made as the final assignment for my Foundations Design class, this artist book portrays the stories of the people and animals who lived together and found safety in the Warsaw Zoo, or as the Żabiński’s called it “The House Under a Crazy Star”.