WORKSHOP: CARVE YOUR OWN EX LIBRIS

Design and carve your own Ex Libris — a personal bookplate for your book collection.

A name on the title page, a signature in the margin, or a small artwork telling you who the book belongs to. There are many ways to leave your mark on a book. For centuries, Ex Libris has been one of them, and now you can create your own at a cozy evening workshop centered on craftsmanship and immersion.

This workshop begins in Designmuseum Danmark’s library, where you’ll get the chance to explore historical Ex Libris from the collection. Here you’ll find works by, among others, the renowned Danish artists and designers Thorvald Bindesbøll and Ebba Holm, both of whom worked with Ex Libris as an independent art form.

You’ll get an introduction to the history, artistic traditions, and craft of Ex Libris before getting started yourself. With paper, tools, and carving equipment, you’ll design and produce your own bookplate, a small graphic imprint made to take up residence in your book collection.

These small bookplates originated in the 1200s as a way to mark ownership, but quickly developed into far more than a practical ownership stamp. An Ex Libris could tell of the owner’s interests, outlook on life, profession, or passions, and was often executed as a small, detailed graphic artwork.

What should your Ex Libris say? Maybe something about what you care about. Something about who you are. Or simply that the book belongs to you.