Crossing Map
1983
153 original drawings in pencil, india ink, felt tip and aerosol spray cellulose on lithographic film.
The illustrations for Crossing Map were drawn on lithographic paper enabling direct printing without the intermediate stage of photography. Each sheet was the exact size of the printed page and the transparent film was laid over the dummy pages to see how the drawings would interweave with the text.
Instead of creating illustrations for the text, Lijn creates a visual score, as if the writing were lyrics that could be set to music, and the music could be seen instead of heard.
In the softback edition, drawings are printed over words – making punctuation redundant. The drawings flow from page to page because in the deluxe edition drawings and text were printed separately, and each Song of drawings unfolded as a separate leporello.
The illustrations took months to complete and as Lijn progressed through each Song of the book, she felt as if she was inventing new ways to draw. Song 14 Unfolding was a critical turning point in that Lijn needed to express destruction and aggression, themes not previously confronted within her work.
