Beauty Mark

Bookmark Box

Bookmark Box by Kagen Sound

Here at Boxes and Booze, we love books. Someday, when I need to give up drinking entirely (is that possible?), I might change the theme here to Boxes and Books, in fact. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? You may have even noticed there is a page dedicated entirely to book themed boxes on the website. Here’s a good idea – why don’t you navigate to that page after reading this article, and bookmark it for future reference!

book smart

It’s funny, but bookmarks can be a source of heated debate among book lovers. I honestly don’t know why, but there are those who eschew them in favor of, say, folding the page corner down (anathema!) or using the dust jacket flap on a hardbound book (quite effective). But I like bookmarks. They add a little touch of elegance, whimsey, nostalgia or simply add continuity to the whole reading experience, something tangible to take with you as you put one book down and pick up the next. The late master puzzle box maker and Karakuri Creation Group founding member Yoshiyuki Ninomiya was famous for his yosegi artistry. Many of his beautiful patterns were made into bookmarks which are prized by collectors of his work. American master (and the only non-Japanese member of the KCG) Kagen Sound has applied his own unique artistry to the bookmark now, not only by creating three beautiful yosegi bookmarks but by furthermore incorporating them into a set of delightful new puzzle boxes.

by the book

The Bookmark Box(es) is the next release in Kagen’s “operated box” series, of which the award winning Battery Operated Box was the first. The beautiful puzzle boxes in this series, which will also include the forthcoming Coin Operated Box, are a response to a new outlook on life and creativity in his craft. His classic style of puzzle box has been much more rigid in the past, creating solid shapes and forms that must be approached mathematically and follow a structured sequence, like a chess game. He recounts a recent visit to a friend who had many of Junichi Yananose’s incredible designs, and he marveled at Juno’s use of unexpected “tools” which encouraged thinking outside the box, inventiveness and flexibility of the mind. He also marveled at how each tool was dedicated to a specific task, despite many possibilities, and how Juno must test all these options to ensure nothing is left to chance. The experience of discovery and trial was stimulating, whimsical, enjoyable, fun.

every trick in the book

Kagen’s “operated box” series is thus a response to all of that, and his version of what some might call a “sequential discovery” puzzle box. Kagen has been enamored of the ancient Japanese woodworking technique yosegi-zaiku, creating thin veneers from hundreds of tiny wood pieces arranged in a block of geometric shapes. He says this “continues to be an incredibly exciting ability” of his which he lately attempts to employ whenever possible. In the Bookmark Box set, there are three different patterns of yosegi he has created to differentiate the boxes (and the bookmarks!). On the first (walnut), and easiest in the set, the yosegi came about from his interest in the “plus” shape (or “pinwheel”), creating a sort of checkerboard, adding some pinstriping and also rotating every other “plus” symbol. The second (purpleheart) and third (cherry) Bookmark Boxes are closely related in a special way. They add layers of complexity to the opening puzzle, building up to the frustratingly challenging third version. They also share a story in the yosegi. On the purpleheart box, the yosegi features striped rectangle patterns which came from Kagen’s lotus and café wall table projects of many years ago. The overarching theme here was to create classic Greek Key patterns from the shifting rectangles, and it is a pattern we will see again in another upcoming project. Part of the yosegi process involves cutting off end chunks from the blocks, which are typically sent to the scrap pile or trash bin. Kagen noticed that if he glued these cutoffs together instead, they created a whole new pattern – what is found on the third Bookmark Box!

a likely story

This flexibility in the creative process is something Kagen has been noticing, in his personal life and in his professional creations. The life skill of being able to flex, with people, with emotions, in situations where we find ourselves, holds a power to progress, to fulfill, and can be incredibly satisfying and affirming. He finds himself thinking about this a lot lately, and we have seen how it has seeped into his puzzle making in remarkable ways. He notes that he now approaches new ideas by thinking about what might be flexible, in all of that word’s many meanings, and how that might be exploited as a puzzle, too. Take, for example, a bookmark, which is normally a very flexible object. But on top of a box, and made of wood, it becomes rigid, fixed, immobile. How can it be released? Kagen says that finding that moment of “aha” (another reference and homage to a classic puzzle box) has been the “story of my recent life!”.

Storyville by Rafa Garcia Febles

I’m toasting the Bookmark Box with another good story in a glass. This one was created by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles, who is currently the beverage director and assistant manager at Hav&Mar. I once featured another of Febles’ cocktails, based on Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, a story of many stories told with a jaded eye in Sondheim’s inimitable style. That one is also an excellent cold weather cocktail perfect for this season.

telling a good story

The Storyville tells a story going back to the start of Febles’ bartender days a decade ago. With a mixed base of cognac and mezcal augmented by rich and mildly bitter French Bonal aperitif, it drinks like an unusual, smoky Manhattan. I used Calvados for the brandy here, which adds another layer of delicious fall flavor. Yellow Chartreuse adds hints of herb and more sweetness, rounding out the story with side characters and subplots. It’s another interesting chapter for the fireside this time of year you just might want to bookmark. Cheers!

a storybook ending

Storyville by Rafa Garcia Febles

1 oz brandy

1 oz mezcal

¾ oz Bonal Gentiane Quina

¼ oz yellow Chartreuse

1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass over a large cube. Lemon peel/twist garnish.

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