This past May I had the great fortune of traveling to NYC with my classmate Dan Boardman and photographer extraordinaire Matthew Monteith (see May blog post: NY City Book Tour to read more). In short, we had a great day visiting various bookstores but the highlight was spending the afternoon at the International Center of Photography's amazing library and meeting Deirdre Donohue & Matthew Carson, ICP's talented and amazing librarians/archivists.
Deirdre and Matthew will be running a pop-up reading room in Long Island City. I've added some information about their event below, copied from the ICP Library's blog.
10×10 Reading Room, a 3-day pop-up reading room sponsored by the International Center of Photography Library and the Photobook Facebook Group, presents 100 Japanese photobooks from the perspective of 10 specialists who have each been asked to select 10 postwar Japanese photobooks or magazines.Over the past 10 years an ever-expanding community of photobook collectors has grown in both Japan and the West. Recent photobook studies and resources have primarily focused on rare and out of print photobooks. Those seeking information beyond these seminal books have turned to museum libraries and online communities. Realizing that a void existed for the general public to have direct access to many of the smaller editions, lesser known postwar Japanese photobooks and magazines, the International Center of Photography Library and the Photobook Facebook Group have invited 10 specialists, who include critics, curators, editors, writers, publishers, gallerists and booksellers, to share their knowledge about Japanese photobooks. By no means conclusive, the selection presented in the 10×10 reading room is shaped by the specific interests of each specialist and is just a small sampling of the larger breadth and variety within Japanese photobooks.
10×10 Japanese Photobooks Reading Room
ICP – Bard MFA Studio Space
24-20 Jackson Avenue, 3rd Floor, Long Island City
Runs concurrently with the New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1 and is located across the street.
Next up: J & L Books
J&L Books is a non-profit Atlanta / New York based publisher of artists' books, founded in 2000 by Jason Fulford and Leanne Shapton. J&L produces two to five new books each year of previously unpublished or rarely seen work by contemporary artists.
Selection of J&L Books from left to right: Golden Palms by Ed Panar, Crushed by Jason Fulford and Shut Up Truth by Michael Schmelling. J&L produces some amazing art books! Jason Fulford is a master when it comes to the book form, whether it be editing and sequencing his own work or working with other artists. One of my recent favorites is Gregory Halpern's "A" which came out last year.
Images from Gregory Halpern's book "A". Greg came to lecture at MassArt this past spring and gave one of the best and most engaging lectures about photography books that I've ever heard. He described sequencing images in photo books like a musician arranges a score of music- paying special attention to repetitions and how a "note/photo" can reappear but grow louder or softer throughout an edit. If you visit his website you will get a sense of the lyricism that I am talking about.
Next up: TBW Books
Images: from Paul Schiek's book "Dead Men Don't Look Like Me"
I had the great, albeit, brief pleasure of working with Paul Schiek when I lived in San Francisco. We spent some time working on a frame project for Stefan Kirkeby at his shop Smith Anderson North. Paul is an amazing photographer, I greatly admire his work and I'm thrilled that his publishing company, TBW Books, is taking on such ambitious projects. I've listed some information below about his Subscription Series, text copied via TBW Books website.
Subscription Series:
Every year, TBW Books invites four accomplished artists working in the photographic medium to present an intensely personal and poetic exploration of their work to be released in the form of a book. Represented by one book in this four book series, each artist is given complete creative control. These gifted individuals craft powerful, surprising, and completely uncompromised works that implore the viewer to contemplate the relationships between images. The books provide an unparalleled glimpse into the thinking processes of who we consider to be four of today's most exciting image-makers.
All components of the books are printed and assembled proudly in Oakland, CA. We recognize the value of keeping resources within the community, and are committed to doing business with like-minded, independent printing professionals.
Images from Dru Donovan's "Lifting Water" series published in Subscription Series 3.
Past Subscription Series have been recognized and collected by many prominent galleries, museums and institutions, and have also been featured in many articles in contemporary art and culture magazines.
Our subscription series and format is a novel idea that has already made an impact on the art and publishing worlds. By offering these books only as a set, we seek to preserve the relationships that take place between them. Our commitment to publishing a variety of both established and early career artists contrasts the art world’s habit of disconnecting artists based on their generations. We feel the dialogue between the works of different artists emphasizes that great photographs come from a place unaffected by time or space, and instead act as independent truths.
The Subscription Series is a limited edition, hand numbered book series that is released quarterly. Book quantities are limited to 750 unsigned subscriptions and 50 signed subscriptions.
Recent artists who have participated in the Subscription Series include: Mark Steinmetz, Dru Donovan, Elaine Stocki, Katy Grannan, Todd Hido, Abner Nolan, Marianne Mueller, and Alec Soth... just to name a few.
Next up: The Thing
Image of Dave Eggers Issue #16. THE THING QUARTERLY is an object based publication produced by visual artists Jonn Herscend and Will Rogan. Each issue is conceived of by a different contributor. The object is reproduced, wrapped, and shipped to the subscribers. THE THING projects is an off-shoot that encompasses a wide range of artworks and events.
Artists who have been invited to produced a THING have included: Chris Johanson, Jonathon Lethem, James Franco, Lucy Pullen, Tucker Nichols and Miranda July... to name a few.
Issue 16 is by American writer Dave Eggers. Published on a shower curtain, with the idea that one would read it while showering, this issue is a monologue told to Dave Eggers by his shower curtain. It was produced in collaboration with Izola and is printed on a 72x72 inch PEVA (PVC Free) shower curtain.Next up: Decode Books
In 2010, American photographers Amy Stein and Stacy Arezou Mehrfar embarked on a month-long road trip throughout New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state. They were interested in investigating the Australian social phenomenon of tall poppy syndrome, in which successful people, or the “tall poppies,” get “cut down to size” and are resented or ridiculed because their talents or achievements distinguish them from their peers.
Is the syndrome real? Can it be documented or observed? Stein and Mehrfar set out to explore quintessential Australian life and find what evidence they could of the existence of this phenomenon. They spent their days meeting and photographing everyday Australians—from schoolchildren in their plaid uniforms to young surfers playing at the beach to grandmothers meeting at their social clubs—all the while learning about the relationship between the group and the individual within Australian society. The resulting photographs in Tall Poppy Syndrome present their investigation into and observations of daily Australian life.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Via Kelli Connell (via Matthew Gamber on FB... gotta love the internet) I just read about a viewing party for Justin James Reed's book "2013" which is only able to be viewed in the dark under black lights. AMAZING!
Book as Performance Viewing party for "2013," by Justin James Reed, released earlier this year. The book utilizes ink that can only be viewed under ultra violet light and was created with performative experience and communal viewings in mind. This program will include a video performance of the book by Anouk Kruitof and a live group viewing of the book in complete darkness. Presented by Horses Think Press.
Saturday, September 29th 7:00 pm, The Classroom @ MoMA PS1
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