Books can transport us to new worlds, but few make us experience the slow disappearance of memory quite like 4,4,4&2, the latest project from Scottish publisher Boom Saloon. This visually and emotionally powerful book uses disappearing ink to mirror the experience of dementia, resulting in a reading journey that is as moving as it is unique.
4,4,4&2 is crafted to look and feel like a cherished family cookbook. The pages are filled with handwritten recipes, scribbled notes, mementoes, clippings, and fragments of memory, all collected informally in a way that feels deeply personal. With each page turn, you might find a child’s scrawled recipe, a photograph tucked into a fold-out, or a note written in the margin. This familiar, homey format is intentional. Many families have a book or folder like this, overflowing with memories. In 4,4,4&2, however, there is a twist: every word and image is printed in disappearing ink. As the book is exposed to light and air, the ink begins to fade, eventually vanishing completely, leaving behind only the faintest echoes of what once was.
Designer: Boom Salon
The content of the book is inspired by the life of Maggie Watson, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia in 2021. It blends memoir, poetry, family photographs, recipes, and other personal artifacts to tell Maggie’s story. Each copy of the book is finished by hand and is wholly unique, designed to warp, fade, and transform over time, just as memories do for those experiencing dementia. Readers are invited to interact with the book before its contents disappear, making the act of reading an urgent, living experience.
Boom Saloon developed the book to challenge the common narrative around dementia, which is often focused solely on loss and incapacity. Instead, 4,4,4&2 offers a more nuanced, human story that includes beauty, ambiguity, and the full spectrum of emotion that comes with memory loss. The project encourages readers to see beyond statistics and medical jargon and instead recognize the person behind the diagnosis. Each encounter with the book becomes a personal experience, echoing the fragile and changing nature of memory itself.
The title, 4,4,4&2, is a reference to the number of people affected by dementia every three minutes in the UK, giving the book’s message a sense of urgency and importance. Boom Saloon hopes their publication will serve as a bridge between lived experience and wider society, opening up dialogue and creating empathy for those living with dementia and their loved ones.
By blending storytelling, design, and the science of memory, 4,4,4&2 stands out as both a work of art and a call to action. This book invites us to reflect on the value of memories, the experience of those living with dementia, and the ways in which design can foster connection and understanding.
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