Razzle Dazzle

A wandering accordion book inspired by "dazzle" camouflage used by the Royal Navy during World War I. The dizzying paintjob on warships was developed by Norman Wilkinson and British artist, Edward Wadsworth.

Two prints by Edward Wadsworth depicting the Liverpool Shipyards where the ships were painted (1918)

It is also sometimes called "razzle dazzle," it consisted of complex patterns of geometric shapes in contrasting colors, interrupting and intersecting each other. It was not meant to conceal the vessel, but rather make it much more difficult to estimate a target's range, speed and heading.


Razzle Dazzle
30 page wandering accordion structure with hardcovers
woodblocks on handmade paper, unique edition
3x3" page size

copyright Kate Castelli 2014