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Dimitris Koutsipetsidis

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Name

Dimitris Koutsipetsidis

Profession

Binder

Established since

2011

Team

Self Operational

Studies

Philology

Work experience

Memorable notes

leather, design bindings, brass handtools, brass (and other metallic) ornaments, leather dyeing.

Awards

Specification tags

bookbinding, handtools, teaching bookbinding, leather

Production range

mostly individual/unique bindings. Occasionally small editions of up to 15-20 pieces.

Can you describe your workspace?

Location, place, atmosphere

Sometimes I think it says very little or nothing; given the current state of my country's economy and the adversities a young craftsman has to face my options were very limited. It doesn't look the way I'd like, it doesn't have many of the things I need. However I've come a long way and worked hard to be able to have it. And I cherish it because of that. So I guess, in the end, it represents its owner well enough.

Why are you a binder?

History, personal attachment

How could I not be? It combines the two things I love the most; stories and handcrafting.

What do you like so much about your work?

Motivation

To me bookbinding is so fascinating as an idea because its very purpose is to protect the thoughts and knowledge of mankind. Practically it feels very rewarding because it's also an amalgam of various crafts apart from a single one. To me it feels like the Homo Universalis of crafts; there's simply so much to explore! So, to answer your question; I believe bookbinding makes someone whole as an artisan and, eventually, as a person. That's what I love about it.

A Matter of laws

Cicero

Titus Andronicus

Which work represents you the best?

Personal, preference

Hmm, hard to choose... I believe it must be my binding of Cicero or the trio of "A matter of Laws". I consider them well made, especially Cicero which is one of my finest bindings and involves a difficult technique (surface gilding) - I'm quite proud of the result. However, and most of all, these bindings showcase two of my defining characteristics; storytelling and inventiveness. I want to tell stories with my bindings. And I wish to do so by merging together a book's content, the owner's thoughts and my own interpretation of it into a binding that has a life of its own. Something that is new and at the same time related to the book. I've once read this at a tool museum in Athens; "...they want them (the tools) to say who made them and who used them". That's what I'm trying to do and I believe the bindings I mentioned above have achieved that to some extent.

What techniques are you specialized in?

Field, specialization

Anything involving brass really. A commission that requires custom made clasps or a unique locking mechanism is a treat for me.

Why are you so good at that specialization?

Experience, unique qualities

I always enjoy a crafting challenge, especially if its difficulty lies in finding the way to make something instead of simply doing it right. To give you an example; when I first started learning bookbinding I wanted to be able to tool (emboss or gilt by hand) my bindings but couldn't afford to buy brass handtools. So I decided to make them on my own instead, combining what little knowledge I had of goldsmithing and metalworking. It proved far more difficult and complex than I expected but it has taught me a lot and now I'm also a toolmaker apart from a bookbinder. That's my general approach regarding many things.