Spring 2012
Geraldine Ondrizek X 7201 ondrizeg@reed.edu
In this Studio Art course we will explore the significant role artist books have played among the avant-garde of eastern and western Europe, Asia and the United States from the turn of the century to the present. The structural formats that book works take and their social and political functions, will be viewed and discussed. The spectrum of artist books in Reed's special collections, recently archived on the ARTISTS’ BOOK site, will provide you with samples of professional artist books, references and readings. http://cdm.reed.edu/cdm4/artbooks/.
The collection of Artists’ Books archived is divided into four main groups, the 1.The Livre’ Artist Books or traditional fine press book works which are often collaborations between artist/authors, 2.The Avant-garde works done at the turn -of –the-century to the present using innovative typography and design as a social and political commentary, 3. The Conceptualist works that use a variety of media, both conventional and unconventional, to primarily express ideas or document events and 4. The Contemporary, both book makers and artists making works which range from object based works to letterpress editions. We will read and discuss essays relating to the history of the works and each studio problem. A list of reference materials is enclosed; they will provide you with a reference on the history of artist books, examples of contemporary text and book-based work and technical guides. You are require to purchase both, THE BOOK AS A WORK OF ART Giorgio Maffei How To Make Books. Esther K. Smith and Thinking With Type, Lipton- http://www.thinkingwithtype.com/ will be refered to for technical guidance through out. A set of readings and instruction will be provided to you. Do not lose the binder!
The course begins Concrete: A Low Budget Poetic Work- Pamphlets, Chapbooks and Zines, the Cheap Communal Art Form, an avant-garde format to enable you toquickly and easily make books and introduce you to the Artist Book in the high art world. The Physical Word - the Bound Book and Typography a project that will train you to use letterpress and bind a codex of your own design. The final project The Collective Books, Boxes and Cases opens up the scope and scale of the book and its sculptural possibly as a repository of temporal events in a fabricated box form.
Binders for structural diagrams and readings*
Graph Paper 8 1/2 x 11*
Trace Paper 8 1/2 x 11*
Tool box/Art bin for materials
Bone folder*
Self-healing cutting mat by X-acto*
Steel Ruler*
Medium Binder Clips*
Large sewing needles
Heavy thread or bookbinding thread
X-acto knifes with changeable blades*
Glue brushes (cheap .50-$1.00)
Masking tape* (art tape)
Glue sticks- Uhu*
Book Glue “PVA”
(* Available at the book store.)
Optional:
T Square
Linen tape
Various paper and cloth as needed
Book board (I provide each student with 2 sheets each. )
DICK BLICK ON LINE ORDER:
http://www.dickblick.com/lists/blicku/0DJFGX47SFU2Z/publicview/
TEXT to PURCHASE:
THE BOOK AS A WORK OF ART Giorgio Maffei
How To Make Books. Esther K. Smith
INCLASS TEXT:
THINKING WITH TYPE-Lupton
Available in class and on line
Chapters/ Articles In Reading Packet
Introductory Text:
Bright, Betty No Longer Innocent, Book Art in America 1960–1980(New York: Granary Books, 2005
Lauf, Cornelia, ed., Phillpot, Clive, Artist/Author (New York: Distributed Art Publishers: American Federation of Arts, 1998).
Drucker, Johanna The Visible Word, Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923 (The University of Chicago Press, 1994).
Reference
Piper, Adrian, "Cheap Art Utopia," Out of Order, Out of Sight (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1996)
Schaffner, Ingrid, and Winzen, Matthias, ed., Deep Storage: Collecting, Storing and Archiving in Art (Munich: New York: Prestel,
Lucy Lippard, Six Years: The Dematerialilzation of the Art Object (The University of California Press 1997).
Lyons, Joan ed. Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Source Book. Rochester, N.Y.: The Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1985.
Fluxus Codex. Detroit, MI: Gilbert and Lisa Silverman Fluxus Collection in association with H.N. Abrams, NY. 1988.
Web Sites:
http://www.philobiblon.com/programs.shtml
For resources/ materials guide:
http://www.bookmakerscatalog.com/
http://www.philobiblon.com/bookarts_links.shtml
Schools:
http://www.artbookscreativity.org/curriculum/curriculum.html
How to:
http://www.bookarts.ua.edu
Archives:
http://www.granarybooks.com
http://franklinfurnace.org
http://minsky.com/gallery.htm
Artists:
http://www.littlesparta.co.uk/
http://www.texturaprinting.com/
http://www.angelalorenzartistsbooks.com/firstpage.htm
Suppliers
http://www.bookworks.org.uk/asp/home3.asp
http://www.harmatan.co.uk/
http://www.toolsforpaper.com/
http://www.bookbinding.co.uk/
http://www.talasonline.com/
http://twinrocker.com/
Typography
American Amateur Press Association: http://www.printinghistory.org/about/mission-history.php
American Printing History Association: http://www.printinghistory.org/about/mission-history.php
Chicago Calligraphy Collective: http://www.chicagocallig.com/
Briar Press: http://www.briarpress.org/
Hatch Show Print: http://www.hatchshowprint.org/hatch/
Listing of Private Presses and Typography: http://www.xs4all.nl/~knops/private2.html
Mid America Print Council: http://130.101.145.81/
Resources for Letterpress Printers: http://www.aapainfo.org/lpress.html
Silver Buckle Press: http://silverbucklepress.library.wisc.edu/
St Bride Printing Library: http://www.stbride.org/
The William Morris Homepage: http://www.morrissociety.org/
Sherwin Beach Press: http://www.sherwinbeach.com/
Springtide Press: http://www.springtidepress.com/
Steracle Press: http://www.steracle.com/
Vandercook Press Information: http://vandercookpress.info/
Paper Making
Cave Paper: http://www.cavepaper.com/
Friends of Dard Hunter: http://www.friendsofdardhunter.org/
Gomez Mill House: http://www.gomez.org/
Griffen Mill Handmade Papers: http://www.griffenmill.com/
Handmade Papers of Africa: http://www.africanhandmadepaper.com/
Hand Papermaking Magazine: http://www.handpapermaking.org/
Helen Hiebert: http://www.helenhiebertstudio.com/Helen_Hiebert_Studio/Home.html
IAPMA: http://www.iapma.info/
Institute of Paper Science and Technology: http://ipst.gatech.edu/
Paper Arts Forum:
Treewhispers: http://treewhispers.com/
Treewhispers: http://treewhispers.com/
Bookbinding
The Book Arts Web: http://www.philobiblon.com
Book Arts-L Archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/bookarts/
Booklyn: http://www.booklyn.org/
The Canadian Bookbinders & Book Artists Guild: http://www.cbbag.ca/
Caxton Club of Chicago: http://www.caxtonclub.org/
Fine Press Book Association: http://www.fpba.com/
The Guild of BookWorkers: http://www.guildofbookworkers.org/
GBW Midwest Chapter: http://www.guildofbookworkers.org/mwchap
Scott K. Kellar Bindry: http://www.scottkkellar.com/
Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/index.html
The Miniature Book Society: http://www.mbs.org/
Richard Minsky: http://minsky.com/
Virginia Commonwealth University's Special Collections: http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/bookart.html
Mary Wagner: http://homepage.mac.com/marywagner/
Image and Text
24.
Introduction to the course, review projects.
Look at the Artists’ Book web site http://cdm.reed.edu/cdm4/artbooks/index.php.
Make a Japanese bound journal. Look at type, papers, forms.
Assignment:Buy supplies and books.
Reading: Bright, Betty No Longer Innocent, Book Arts in America 1960–1980
Europe’s Legacy (New York: Granary Books, 2005)
Lauf, Cornelia, ed., Phillpot, Clive, "The Spectrum of Artist Books," Artist/Author (New
York: Distributed Art Publishers: American Federation of Arts, 1998).
26.
Visit the Library Collection- View assignment samples
Introduction to Project 1-Concret Poetry
Introduce the Accordion, a non-adhesive binding, one sheet pamphlets
Assignments: Design Assigment-Chose type face-think of an image
Reading: Thinking withType-pp
Maffei, Giorgio The Book as a Work of Art The Artist’s Book, Instructions for Use
(Galleria Nazionale d’art Moderna 2006)Introduction.
30.
Library Visit discuss Avant guard and the book.
Workshop- Set type, Julia visiting
Demo-Match Box, Pamphlet
2. Setting type –Julia visitng
Begin Individual Meetings-proposals for “ConcretPoetry”
Friday Workshop-Set type
Assignment:Work on ConcretPoetry-research works and come up with models.
7. Workshop –Looking at type, design of pages, Intro to lab
Individual meetings-proposals for Concret Poetry.
9. Introduction to InDesign-Jennifer V Computer Lab. Layout image /text
Friday Workshop-Book production
Assignment:Make a model of final book. Gather all materials
14. InDesign-assistance. Jennifer V Computer Lab-Pritning.
16. Work time
Friday Workshop-Book production
Assignment: Make final book.
21. Work time
23. Work Time
Assignment: Finish work
28. Final Crit
Assignment- Bright, Betty No Longer Innocent, Book Art in America 1960–1980
The Fine Press Book (New York: Granary Books, 2005)
Maffei, Giorgio The Book as a Work of Art
Artist’ book and futurist theater /End of Narrative?
(Galleria Nazionale d’art Modern 2006)
1. Discussion, Introduction to Project 2, "The Physical Word". View book collection.
Reading:
Drucker, Johanna The Visible Word,
Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923
(The University of Chicago Press, 1994).
Assignment/Friday workshop: Letterpress 2-4pm
Fold Signatures
Intro type setting
6. Visit colelction-Discussion of articles.
Intro to full page type setting
Introduction to bookbinding
8. Binding-Design work
Assignment: Work on book design.
Spring Break
20. Work time/meeting with Gerri.
22. Work time/meeting with Gerri.
Friday Work Shop
Assignment:Work on final book.
27. Work time
29. Work time
Friday Work Shop
3. Worktime
5. The Physical Word–Crit.
Introduce “The Collective Work”
Reading:
Maffei, Giorgio The Book as a Work of Art
Between the rooms and the shelves, disturbing objects
(Galleria Nazionale d’art Moderna 2006)
10. Discussion, "The Collective Work" view book collection.
Assignment: Make drawings/proposals
12. Build box in class. Group dicusion about box design
Assignment: Work on models for final.
17. Work time with entire class-Indivdual Meetings with Gerri
Review box structures, dialogue about final project.
19.Work time Meeting with Gerri
24. Work time Meeting with Gerri
26. LAST DAY OF CLASS
Work on Project-April 30-May 7
Final-May 8 4-6pm
“Suppose art were accessible to everyone as a comic book? As cheap as available? What social and economic conditions would this state of things presuppose?”
—Adrian Piper, “Cheap Art Utopia”
“One day I would like to see artist books ensconced in supermarkets, drugstores, and airports.”
—Lucy Lippard
“The book provides a form familiar to most people. Within the common sequential, diptych format of the codex book, an artist can articulate a fixed but randomly accessible sequence of images and words. This cannot only convey a complex narrative but also a compelling aesthetic experience. Artist books can be the vehicles for artists' ideas, however abstruse, arcane, or unpopular. They can convey artists’ perceptions and critiques of society from the humorous to the philosophical, just as art does.”
—Clive Phillpot, Artist/Author
Project-Concret Poetry
Reflecting the spirit of centrurie of poets, Furturis,Favisit, Concret poets, and Fluxus we wil engage in the process of making image and text manifest as a physical form.
We will first look at Letter forms as language-reflecting the historical, social and politcal forms of the time.
We will examine the Reed Book Collection , examining structures and ideas that reflect the works content.
You will find a phrase, an image, a politcal slogan, a commercial/advertizing or and idea.
Make this concept a work.
Investigate forms and ideas that both reflect the phrase and give it new meaning in the format you place it in. This could be abroad side, a flip book, an accordian book, a single sheet fold book, a deck of cards.
The works should be both affordable to the public.
The book may be of a social or political nature or expose the public to a new way of thinking.
It could be apoetic thought , a sarastic saying, a comic idea, a beautful monent.
Think of this as a gesture that could motivate or give one pause.
Part 1. Group Projects
1.Make a Japanize stab bind as you class note book
2.Make a accordian, single fold, match book
3.Letterpress Intro: reading a type face
4. Indesign-Image text layout. 2-day In Design workshop with Jennifer V
Part 2. Your Piece:
Design the physical form you text /image book will take.
Choosing the construction method and printing technique that best fits your idea,
keep the cost fof production low.
Construction methods taught in class:
Japanese Bind, pamphlet, accordion book, matchbox, folded books, non-adhesive bindings.
Print methods:
You will learn:
Single line letter press, InDesign, Epson printing, photocopy transfers, rubber stamps and stencils.
Block print, silk screen, and etching can be used if the student has experince.
Materials:
I will provide paper, recycled newsprint, boards, and some cloth if needed. I have linoleum for prints, rubber for stamps, Citrus Sol for transfers. Black and white laser prints are free; I have Epson double-sided paper. You may need to access materilas you want to work with on your own.
MAIN REFERENCE- WORKS IN COLLECTION:
Sonia Delaunay- Trans Siberian Rail
El Lissitzky -About 2 Squares,
SMS
Dick Higgins- Flux Kit
Alison Knowles-Samples
Taka Sato-Book Chess
John Cage- Wholly Roller Over
Ed Ruscha- All the Buildings on Sunset Strip
Ian Hamilton Finley- Various works from our collection
Artists' work shown:
Adrian Piper, Sol LeWitt, Jenny Holzer, Hans Haacke, Tatianna Keller, Group Material, The Gorilla Girls, Fishle and Wiese, Barbara Kruger, Deter Roth, Andy Warhol, John Cage, Jackie Ferrara, Ed Ruscha, Allan Kaprow, Jimmie Durham, General Idea, Laurence Wiener, Edgar Heap of Birds, Robert Mangold, and Tim Rollins.
Readings:
Thinking with Type- A Critical Guide –In calss as we look at the assignment.
Bright, Betty No Longer Innocent, Book Art in America 1960–1980 The Fine Press Book (New York: Granary Books, 2005)
Maffei, Giorgio The Book as a Work of Art Artist’ book and futurist theater /End of Narrative? (Galleria Nazionale d’art Modern 2006)
Piper, Adrian. "Cheap Art Utopia," Out of Order, Out of Sight (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1996).
Lauf, Cornelia, ed., Phillpot, Clive. "The Spectrum of Artist Books," Artist/Author (New York: Distributed Art Publishers: American Federation of Arts, 1998).
Part 1: Book Page Design and Letterpress
We look at the istroy of page design form the golned mean to letter pressed grid page. The rise of offset litho, advrtizment and newspapers use of colums and grids. The avantgaurd break of the page.
We will look at various typefaces and discuss their shape and form and the history of several of them.
You will learn the process of setting type, including the use of points and picas, word and line spacing, pica, and how to set up a press and print.
Part 2: Book Binding Methods and Making a Codex
The class will learn to make a 40-50-page codex.
Sewn signatures, and cloth binding will be covered.
Project:
Consider the “Voice” of a text as the center of your book design. Choose a work of literature, poetry, your own words or others. (You will need to get copy right or approval if you are using another writers works.) Design a book centered on the concepts the text puts forth. Consider the layout and structure to reflect the rhythm of the language.
Design the format of this work to reflect the content. Choose a typeface that reflects the language.
Formats that you may refer to include; photo narrative with text, polysemiotic narratives, documentary narratives, non-narrative visual sequences, scores, albums and inventories, illustrated books, and mail art.
Materials and methods:
Typographic design and page layout will be stressed. We will explore the letterpress and the language of typefaces. We will explore page proportions and design.
Methods of image reproduction such as color printing with the Epson, and photo polymer plates will be explored.
You will learn fabrication methods such as the traditional codex and the multiple layered accordions. I will supply some papers, however, you will need to purchase others. I have a good basic stock of book cloth and some book board.
Readings:
Drucker, Johanna The Visible Word, Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923 ( The University of Chicago Press, 1994).
John Ryder Printing for Pleasure.
Artist books
Five Poems- Kara Walker/Toni Morrison
Le Fin Du Mod- Cendars/Leger
6 Fairy Tales- Hockney
Mohn-Horowitz/Celan
Noma- Samuels
There is an Ocean, Joshua Saul Beckman
On this Land, Karen Kunc
My Mother's Book, Joan Lyons
After the Freud Museum, Susan Hiller
An exploration of the sculptural book.
Project
As aclass we will all contribute a work to the class collection housed in a sculptural container.
Create a work that is either an extension of works made in class or an art work that would repesnt an idea about collective activity. What do you offer a group.
We will look at The “Self Portriate in th Convex Miirror” and the SMS Collection.
Consider the contemporary art forms that have been inspired from the cells of the book.
Consider text as object, paper as a wall for projection, and the cover as an enclosure.
You may consider fabricating a box for your project, which will live in the larger box/sapce
As a class we will design and make a housing for you works. This can be a colltive work with envelopes, a cabnet with drawers, a stacked set, a volumes on a shelf, a chest of draws, a file cabnet, a cardboard box.
Methods and materials
You own work will draw on the various methods covered as well as those in the many refence books and the collection of artist books we have at Reed.
I will give step-by-step instruction as to how to fabricate book board boxes, slipcovers, portfolio cases, cabinets, and containers.
Each of you will make a demo box. The form of your actual project is completely up to you.
Readings
Maffei, Giorgio The Book as a Work of Art
Between the rooms and the shelves, disturbing objects
(Galleria Nazionale d’art Moderna 2006)
Reference:
Deep Storage
EYE on Europe Language
Artist works
SMS
Fluxus Kits- Fluxus Collection and show at MOMA
John Cage, Holy Roller Over
John Ashbery, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (San Francisco: Arion Press, 1984), a limited edition book with original prints by 12 artists
Allen Ginsberg, AH Allen, A Tribute (New York, NY: A/C Editions, 1998), a limited edition book of Ginsberg’s unpublished writings and works in tribute to Ginsberg by numerous artists and writers
Meg Webster, Create Your Own Garden
Jenny Holzer, Laments
Diane Samuels Artifacts, Norma, Lettus and letters