Transformations in Paper was therefore anticipated eagerly, with the hope of catching up with the work of favorite artists and becoming acquainted with the work of new ones. The lure in the promotional literature of a "critical overview" by Banff Visual Arts Director Lorne Faulk was an additional bonus. Anticipation quickly faded to disappointment when the narrator's trendy comments began with the trite oversimplification of the origins of papermaking as having begun in precisely 105 AD! The statements by Sandra Grant Marchand, Curator of the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, contributed additional frustration by their brevity and inaudibility. Yet another source of frustration in this apparently low-budget video is the vertigo-inducing zooming in and out of images of paperworks that were, at best, second generation: most of the images appear to have been videotaped from publications or, possibly, from slides. By far the greatest difficulty with this videotape is a result of the inequality of the treatment of the artists covered. The final credits list fifteen artists as being represented in the videotape. In fact only two artists are represented by live interviews and live filming of current work (although with distracting music and excessive zoom action): Katherine Lipke and Bonnie Baxter. Some artists, such as Dominic Di Mare and Winifred Lutz, are quoted directly. Still others are represented only by descriptions that appear to come (without attribution) from the published literature, which is itself only credited by a speedy pan of the camera. Much of the work shown, particularly the film made by videotaping slides, is as much as ten years old; yet it is presented as though the various works were all equally new. Although they are not handled equally, it is not surprising that the interviews with the featured artists, Lipke and Baxter, are the most interesting aspect of this video. Lipke's work continues to be of great interest and has developed nicely in recent years. Lorne Faulk's comments about the transformations that take place in the creation of paper-art and the most current reasons for artists' interest in hand papermaking are most intriguing and warrant expansion. The producers could have better concentrated their allotted time and resources on more in-depth and direct live discussions by Faulk with the two featured artists, using their work to exemplify his concept of the "body of labor" and perhaps discussing and debating these points as they relate to specific works. Jane M. Farmer

‍