The Endless sculpture is a 2025 work by Singaporean artist Adelene Koh that enlarges the traditional bookbinding endband into a freestanding circular form. Constructed from paper, embroidery thread, and aluminum wire, the torus-shaped piece recreates the decorative and structural element traditionally sewn along the head and tail of a book's spine. Koh used the front bead method, an 18th- and 19th-century English bookbinding technique, around a single aluminum wire core with hand-cut and hand-folded paper quires integrated throughout the structure.
The work was shortlisted for the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize for its reinterpretation of historic bookbinding techniques through contemporary craft. Paper forms the sculpture's primary structure, supported by embroidery thread and aluminum wire rather than concealed within a bound book. The enlarged construction reveals details of the endband that are typically hidden beneath a book's cover while preserving the traditional sewing method used to produce the original binding element.
Image Credit: Adelene Koh
What's Driving This Trend
- Heritage Craft Reinterpretation
- Historic techniques translated into contemporary sculptural formats create new value for cultural preservation, collectible design, and experiential education.
- Exposed Construction Aesthetics
- Previously hidden structural details becoming focal design elements signal opportunities in luxury goods, interiors, and product storytelling.
- Material-led Miniaturization Reversal
- Small functional components enlarged into standalone objects open space for museum retail, limited-edition décor, and craft-based installation art.
Who This Affects Most
- Contemporary Art
- Traditional craft processes reframed as sculptural practice expand curatorial categories and strengthen demand for concept-driven handmade works.
- Luxury Craft
- Artisanal methods with visible historical provenance support differentiation for high-end brands seeking authenticity beyond conventional ornamentation.
- Publishing and Book Arts
- Bookbinding elements separated from books introduce adjacent markets in education, conservation, and design objects rooted in literary heritage.
