Display, Technology & Artists' Books

[Abigail Thomas]

I started a discussion in the courses and conferences group last year and wanted to highlight it on the general forum. Please come and join in to that discussion in the conferences group or on here. I would like to know you view point on these two areas:

- A big discussion point was the display of artist books, getting the fragile one off's out of glass cases, using technology to show other pages etc...

- Another point was about artists books and technology, using mobile phones, e-books, etc...

[Abigail Thomas]

Has anyone seen/made an artist book on an iphone yet?

Any links to any good artists' ebooks?

Also, please do join in further discussions about this and other artists' books display issues on the Micro-Pages project website:

[Kerryn Madsen-Pietsch]

Can you make a direct link please?

[Abigail Thomas]

Wierd. I had put the link....

Here it is again. I hope.

http://micropages.ning.com/

[Kerryn Madsen-Pietsch]

Thanks Abigail

Abigail Thomas said:

Wierd. I had put the link....

Here it is again. I hope.

http://micropages.ning.com/

[Jesvin Yeo]

I have made an artist book on iphone application before. The original name is Font Book but Germany "Font Book" company asked me to change the name so I am still waiting for approval from apple. The new name will be Beyond Font. It might be up end this month. ^_^

[Abigail Thomas]

Jesvin, just wondered if your book got approval yet?

[Peter Anderson]

Well it might not be artist's books on iPhones ... but I'm in the process of loading digital picture frames in advance of the Robert Jacks exhibition in Bendigo later this month (see events 24 October 2009). For the exhibition we've made a number of videos of Robert 'reading' key books (the sound of the pages is an important element of the work) to show on 32inch screens, and have included digital images of all the pages of quite a few of the books on 10inch screens to sit alongside the books in the display cases.

Making the video, we quickly recognised that viewing all the rubber stamp images of 12 x 12page books could drag a little, so we made a video that took about an hour of slow page turning and then sped it up ... it reduced the distraction of the hands turning the pages, gave us a chance to 'square things up', and because the hands move very quickly there's less of a sense of time passing slowly ... so 12 books that were made over a decade take up about 8 mins of screen time. I'll be really interested to hear feedback when people get to see the exhibition later this month.

Interesting contrast talking iPhone books when others are out there looking for Letraset ... which, by the by, was a key tool in the production of many of Robert Jacks' books in the early to mid 1970s (less well known than the rubber stamp ones) ... so I've just been loading digital images of books of Letraset drawings ... now that's a sign of technological shift.

[Abigail Thomas]

Yeah I use letreset too, love it.

Wish I could see the show, sounds really interesting. Live in the UK though.

[Peter Anderson]

Well, funny you should mention the fact that you're in the UK & can't see the show. Once the exhibition is up and running here in Australia (it has a small tour during next year), my plan is to see if we can create more compact version of it (just the books & digital elements without the supporting other works we're including with the exhibition here) to tour to the USA, Canada & the UK. In fact, Robert has some book work in the collection of the British Museum, and I understand that the books (along with other works on paper) may well be included in an exhibition they will be holding next year. In addition, I expect that some of the digital elements we've been developing for this exhibition may also find a life in other contexts.

[Peter Anderson]

Just to up-date my last post to this discussion. The Jacks exhibition is up & running smoothly - seven screens to support the books - I think we show the complete contents of 25 books. In the display cases we used 10inch digital picture frames with either video or photograph loops. In addition, two 32inch wall mounted monitors - one loops 12 books, the other shows four sequences & also provides a sound track to the exhibition - pages turning, and a 1-12 count linked to Robert's earliest books (it's on a 15 min loop, so it adds an additional dimension to viewing the exhibition). I'd be really interested in feedback on the exhibition (esp. it's attempt at using a digital element) from any Australian viewers ... The Artist's Books of Robert Jacks ... at Bendigo Art Gallery until 29 October. We also have a single book for viewing (gloves free) ... so there are digital views, six cases of books on page openings, and a book to browse ... as well as supporting paintings. Peter Anderson

[Robert Heather]

Peter can you post some photos of the exhibition?

[Peter Anderson]

I've just added a couple of images of the Robert Jacks exhibition which I mentioned in an earlier post to this group. They are posted in the comments section linked to the event - Working Through / Turninig Pages: The Artist's Books of Robert Jacks (Bendigo Art Gallery 24 October to 29 November 2009) But for interest ... here's another, showing a video of Robert Jacks reading a tiny book "1-12" ... this is on a 7inch picture frame, running as a loop, the original video was shot with a Cannon Powershot A530 digital still camera. Not high tech, but it works ... in fact it looks a little like super 8, which is perfect as the book was originally made in 1969.