The Elements of In-Between

Meaning is not in things but in between them.
-Norman Brown


When Rachel asked me to talk about my book project, The Elements of In-Between, I struggled to think about how I would go about describing it. It is, admittedly, an unusual little book. Essentially, The Elements of In-Between is a collaborative book project between myself and the exceptionally talented Melbourne illustrator and designer, Amy Borrell. The book is a collection of my wholly subjective film reviews and fictional responses to certain films. It is a testimony to my increasing fascination with the small details of everyday experience and the imprints that certain films and images leave in our consciousness. But also, this book is developing as a dialogue between a writer and an artist responding to the same films.

The idea for the title of the book came from the notion that we often create things in those “in-between” moments in life when we are supposed to be working on something else. Any writer also knows there are words that do not make it in the final cut of certain works when they are sent off to be published, and this is a collection of those words that I could not bring myself to let go of and which have inspired new fictional worlds.

But the primary pleasure of this book for me would have to be discovering the way that Amy has responded to each film I have written about through her art. The uniqueness of Amy’s work does not simply lie in the various techniques through which she creates her images, but in their inherent philosophy of enchantment. I often think that seeing the world through Amy’s eyes is an exercise in intelligent innocence and wonderment.



Our little book will be revealed to the world in a few months. In the meantime, these images are a small peek. But I sincerely urge you to visit Amy’s website and explore her other beautiful creations.

Post by guest blogger: Hila Shachar