ABOUT THE STUDIO

The work begins with a book, but rarely ends there.

My work begins with novels.


Each papercut is composed directly from the pages of a book that has stayed with me — stories that explore identity, solitude, memory and the strange interior landscapes of the mind.


I cut into the pages themselves, allowing the language of the novel to become the image. Words disappear, fragments remain, and the page slowly transforms into a new form.


The books I return to often are those that linger long after they are closed: stories of quiet observation, uncertain identity, and the fragile boundary between the inner and outer world.

Some works are cut from a single page, allowing the language of the text to shape the entire composition. Others are constructed from several pages, where fragments of narrative are rearranged into new visual structures.


Each papercut is cut by hand and then mounted so that the paper sits slightly away from the surface, allowing light and shadow to move through the work.


From these studio pieces come two further strands of the practice: original artworks and studio editions, alongside the ongoing Novel Print Archive, where a new print inspired by literature is released each month.


Across all of the work the aim remains the same: to explore how stories shape the way we see ourselves, and the world around us.

— James Voce


Some of these ideas continue through the ongoing Novel Print Archive, where a new print inspired by literature is released each month.

Explore the Archive →

Literary Experiments

Alongside the papercuts and archive editions, some works take the form of small digital or interactive studies built from literature.


Opening Lines →

Opening Scenes

A separate body of earlier works is available as Opening Scenes →