We have all heard the saying "One person's trash is another person's treasure." This sentiment is in part the way in which Found Object Art first came into existence. It started around the 1920's with artists such as Kurt Schwitters from Germany, who used all sorts of found objects in his art. As seen in his piece 1922 piece, "Something or other." He uses scraps of posters, newspapers and even a feather to create his collage.
This is considered the Dada period of art, the Tate art gallery states the "aim was to destroy traditional values in art and to create a new art to replace the old."
Therefore the Altered Book finds its home in Found Object and the Dadaism art period. When a traditional published book is transformed into a new art creation, it replaces the old with the new. The book itself is a found object and gives opportunity to use more found objects in art transformation. This process can hold different metaphors of transformation, re-birth or re-authoring.
Altered Book by Marie Muggeridge. Materials used beads, buttons and coloured paper on a published book.
References:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/dada
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