Silence is a limited edition of the book that contains a fairy tale for adults by the Ukrainian contemporary novelist  Oleg Prihodko, and Diana Bychkova's 19 original etchings, hand-printed for each copy of the book. The bindings are handmade in leather and paper. 

Printed by the artist at the atelier of Giorgio Upiglio in Milan, Italy.

Limited edition of 10 copies. Artist’s proof: 3 copies.

Book size: 27 x 40 cm. Pages: 44

The text of the story is hand-written in the original language (Russian) and the English translation is printed in a brochure that is incorporated into the book design with indications of the corresponding pages in the original book.

This edition won several awards and was exhibited and published in art catalogues in Italy and France. 

 About the etchings and book design, Diana Bychkova:

I developed the entire book project. First, I created 19 illustrations, then transformed them into etchings on zinc plates. Next, I created hand-written calligraphy for the entire story, layout design, cover, and bookbinding. Then, I printed 13 copies of this edition by hand, on an etching press and Hahnemühle paper in the atelier of Giorgio Upiglio in Milan. Ten copies are numbered with Roman numerals from 1 to 10, and 3 additional copies are not for commercial use.

The process of engraving the etchings on zinc plates, with 15-23 passages on each, was long and absorbing but it allowed me to achieve various gradations of grays and blacks, which filled the composition with either almost unnoticeable strokes, like the silk of a spider web, or with thick black lines. I carefully chose which paper to use. 

The search for the best way to arrange the written parts of the book led me to write the fairy tale by hand, linking elements of Slavonic calligraphy with contemporary style, as well as adding graphic elements to the book pages in order to balance the visual composition and create the relations between the texts, pictures, and margins. 

Some of the etchings, when the depth of sign allows, have been printed as separate pictures, to be framed and presented at the exhibitions and sold separately. 

Some of the sales and collections:

Book n. II/X joins the collection of the Biblioteca Civica Antonio Arduino in Moncalieri, Italy.

Book n. VI/X is in a private collection in Milan.

Book n. VII/X is displayed in the permanent exhibition at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy in Moscow, Russia. 

Book n. IX/X is in the collection of the Library in Soultz (France).

Book n. 1/3 out-of-commerce is in a private collection in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Publications and awards:

2008 – won an etching award “Sandro e Marialuisa Angelini - 2008”, Bergamo, Italy. A copy of the etching joins the collection at the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art Academy of Carrara in Bergamo. 

2008 – publication in the journal “Illustrator”, London, United Kingdom.

2009 – a copy of the book has been displayed in the Museum of Printing in Lodi, Italy. 

2009 – publication in the historical journal of graphics and art Grafica d’Arte, edited by Paolo Bellini, supplement n.78, June 2009, p.6-7, Milan, Italy.

2010 – awarded with a diploma at the International Festival of Calligraphy, Velikiy Novgorod, Russia. 

2010 – won First Prze at the International Competition Book of Art Robert Beltz - le 9° Festival du Livre Illustré, Soultz, France. 

2010 – won a gold medal and personal exhibition at the Graphic Competition “Cesare Frigerio”, Corsico, Italy.  

About the book:

For this project, the hand-written calligraphy has been developed, page design, and binding. This book contains Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, entirely handwritten in calligraphy and reproduced with a photo method on the book pages. The vertical and horizontal elements of the letters, the tails, strokes, and the connections between them create rhythms for each page, the relations with the metallic parts on the binding, and the entire book. The title page has been created as an independent artwork: a poster that can be printed in a large format. It represents a combination of handwritten calligraphy with the poet’s name and typographic letters. 

The book was exhibited at the Biennale Designer Bookbinders International Competition, and published in the catalogue, Oxford, UK, 2013. 

The prototype of the book, but in an oversize format, is held at the Archives and Special Collections (ARCC), Western University, London ON, Canada. 

The prototype is entirely crafted by hand, with leather bookbinding. The calligraphy is reproduced on high-quality paper, and the edition includes a poster with one of the sonnets. 

Unlike the prototype of the book held at the ARCC, this is a miniature edition focused on the accuracy and precision of hand-made work: the calligraphy is digitally reproduced on beautiful paper, and a new design of the handmade bookbinding includes an embossing reproducing hand-carved calligraphy, thin metallic parts with etchings placed on the cover that resemble a  lace ornament, and is just 12 x 22 cm with. (see pictures below)