There is an intangible component to every successful creative collaboration. Why do the partners connect? What makes their co-created work seamless? How can combined efforts transform a creative project into something more than just the sum of its parts?

A year after having met in Florence, Italy, book artists Lyall Harris and Patricia Silva embarked on a series of twelve collaborative book art projects.

From the beginning, the artists set constraints for the process, both of materials and time, which forced them to work in an immediate, intuitive and exploratory way. Their process began with one artist providing the inspiration and starting materials, such as saved remnants, quotes, and ideas previously set aside. The receiving artist then had only weeks to bring the project to a “halfway” point, adding or editing materials sparingly during this phase. The project was then given back to the originating artist who finished the books (in an edition of 2) in a few weeks’ time.

The varied work addresses issues and histories from their shared and layered perspectives as artists, mothers, daughters, wives, and expats in a changing and complex environment. Their collaborations, which have since grown to include sculpture and photography, point to a unified aesthetic, as if made by one hand. More than a set intention, this is a natural outcome of their work together.