BOOKS: Faces

Introducing our new Books Editor, Jo Middleton, the fine writing talent otherwise known as blogger Slummy Single Mummy…. Send Jo your book recommendations via Twitter to @mummyblogger.

By Jo Middleton

HAVE YOU EVER looked at a cloud and seen a face? Or watched the car coming towards you and imagined the headlights as eyes, staring intently at the road, like a strict headmistress at the front of a class of naughty school boys? No? Perhaps that one’s just me then.

As children, our minds are open to imagining personalities for all kinds of inanimate objects, but as adults, many of us lose this ability to think creatively and imaginatively about the everyday items in the world around us.

David Goodman is one person who certainly hasn’t lost the power to look beyond face value. In his new book, Faces, co-created with Zoe Miller and published by Tate Publishing, David creates a series of faces from anything and everything - from musical instruments to old tea strainers. Some look friendly, some beautiful, and others, like Sad Sam and his zip mouth, just a little bit scary.

What is clear though, is the power of a face to convey emotion and personality, to create ‘people’ from what is only a pile of buttons and cotton reels. No wonder that so much of how we communicate with others comes from our facial expressions, rather than words. Read the rest of this article

Posted 27 January 2012 in Books

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