Codex Capsules by Golla, Ellen - (2009)

Twenty blank micro-miniature books in gelatin capsules placed into a standard plastic medicine bottle. In these days of 140-character Twitter messages and text messaging, Golla's artist's book takes this compression of text to its logical conclusion: books in pill form. "Take as many as desired, as often as needed." Golla, a book and collage artist, has endured a chronic illness for some years and many of her works explore the intersection of books and medicine. This work, consisting of 20 blank books measuring less than half an inch by a quarter inch, each have an individual cover, some reproducing the covers of real books with titles like "Doctors Kill" and "Journey into Mystery". Most are simply decorative. A charming artist's book comprised of a pill bottle, gelatin capsules, ink-jet printed book covers and bottle labels, blank book pages. [ceg]