I just completed another Coptic binding, in which almost all materials and elements are dyed or painted with indigo.

The symbolism of books and indigo converge in the death rituals of the ancient Egyptians and Coptics and is explored here in their concepts of Ba (soul-bird) and The Book of the Dead. Historically, indigo played a primary role in the mourning practices of Coptic and Muslim women in Egypt. Coptic women

took their indigo rituals to extremes . . . . Not only clothing but even curtains and sheets were taken to the dyer to be immersed in the indigo vat. . . . . Indigo dye was also smeared on a mourner's face and body, on the walls of the deceased's house and on the funeral drum itself (from Indigo, by Jenny Balfour-Paul).

In the Book of Millie-Ba, I attempt to invert the textual intention of the Book of the Dead (which was to benefit the dead) and create a book to benefit the living left behind, suggesting a breathless flight from the physical world.

Description of binding:
Contemporary Coptic binding featuring Szirmai sewn board attachment with papyrus cartonnage of outer quire leaves. Textblock is comprised of indigo dyed papyrus, handmade abaca, flax thread, and linen spine lining. Covered in goatskin with tooling and cutwork backed with indigo painted leather and parchment, top-stitched with silk thread. Deer bone peg clasps.