Bitter Chocolate is an exploration of chocolate through the lenses of fact, fiction and culture. The book weaves together a fictional mythological narrative with historical facts and the artist’s own personal experiences to create a portrait of chocolate that is both lyrical and unsettling. The Jacob’s ladder structure allows for four distinct presentations of content. The book is first unfolded into accordion format, presenting the reader with visual and written content on each side. Then the page panels can be flipped over within the hinge straps that connect them revealing the second half of the content. The full meaning and impact of the story is only revealed when all four parts of the content are discovered and read. Beautifully illustrated with images by Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder and Julie Chen. Text is by Julie Chen.

Structure: Jacob’s Ladder
Dimensions: 3 ½ inches by 14 ¾ inches by 1 ⅞ inches; opening to a full width of 25 ¾ inches
Techniques: Letterpress printed from photopolymer plates
Edition size: 50 copies
Notes: Created for an exhibition entitled Just One Look, University of Washington, Seattle. Illustrations by Julie Chen and Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder.
Year of publication: 2016