The Fettered Lettered: Difference between revisions
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==Genre of the Artists' Book== | ==Genre of the Artists' Book== | ||
The rise of the 20th-century genre of the artists’ book has muddled the very meaning of a book, “resist[ing] definition, taking multiple forms and pursuing multifarious themes.” Many scholars and artists have argued that there is no apt definition of this genre without flattening the diversity of these books (too vague) or being inherently exclusionary (too specific).<ref name="Drucker">Drucker, Johanna. ''The Century of Artists’ Books''. Granary Books, 2004.</ref> Artists’ books vary extensively in form, aesthetic, production, circulation, materiality, etc. As Johanna Drucker writes in The Century of Artists’ Books, “[a]rtists' books take every possible form, participate in every possible convention of book making; every possible ‘ism’ of mainstream art and literature, every possible mode of production, every shape, every degree of ephemerality or archival durability.”<ref extends="Drucker"> | The rise of the 20th-century genre of the artists’ book has muddled the very meaning of a book, “resist[ing] definition, taking multiple forms and pursuing multifarious themes.” Many scholars and artists have argued that there is no apt definition of this genre without flattening the diversity of these books (too vague) or being inherently exclusionary (too specific).<ref name="Drucker">Drucker, Johanna. ''The Century of Artists’ Books''. Granary Books, 2004.</ref> Artists’ books vary extensively in form, aesthetic, production, circulation, materiality, etc. As Johanna Drucker writes in The Century of Artists’ Books, “[a]rtists' books take every possible form, participate in every possible convention of book making; every possible ‘ism’ of mainstream art and literature, every possible mode of production, every shape, every degree of ephemerality or archival durability.”<ref extends="Drucker">p. 14</ref> | ||
Artists’ books are typically published through independent publishers, which helps to illuminate the history in which the artists’ book is situated — a history of wanting “to make a voice heard, or a vision available…” The genre of the artist’s book is intimately linked to what Drucker refers to as the “activist artist” or the leveraging of art to inspire political or social consciousness and change. Because books can be circulated widely and freely; are low maintenance; are long-lasting objects; and formally offer a means to communicate “beyond the limits of an individual life or contacts,” their formal and material aspects have a significant relationship to the typical content, namely, activism. | Artists’ books are typically published through independent publishers, which helps to illuminate the history in which the artists’ book is situated — a history of wanting “to make a voice heard, or a vision available…” The genre of the artist’s book is intimately linked to what Drucker refers to as the “activist artist” or the leveraging of art to inspire political or social consciousness and change. Because books can be circulated widely and freely; are low maintenance; are long-lasting objects; and formally offer a means to communicate “beyond the limits of an individual life or contacts,” their formal and material aspects have a significant relationship to the typical content, namely, activism. | ||
Revision as of 17:29, 22 April 2024
Introduction
The Fettered Lettered, created by Angela Lorenz in 2007, was sold to Penn Libraries by Booklyn in 2022 with support from the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Fund for the Arts of the Contemporary Book. Part of the University of Pennsylvania's Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, this arists’ book is one of many in the collection.
Genre of the Artists' Book
The rise of the 20th-century genre of the artists’ book has muddled the very meaning of a book, “resist[ing] definition, taking multiple forms and pursuing multifarious themes.” Many scholars and artists have argued that there is no apt definition of this genre without flattening the diversity of these books (too vague) or being inherently exclusionary (too specific).[1] Artists’ books vary extensively in form, aesthetic, production, circulation, materiality, etc. As Johanna Drucker writes in The Century of Artists’ Books, “[a]rtists' books take every possible form, participate in every possible convention of book making; every possible ‘ism’ of mainstream art and literature, every possible mode of production, every shape, every degree of ephemerality or archival durability.”Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
Artists’ books are typically published through independent publishers, which helps to illuminate the history in which the artists’ book is situated — a history of wanting “to make a voice heard, or a vision available…” The genre of the artist’s book is intimately linked to what Drucker refers to as the “activist artist” or the leveraging of art to inspire political or social consciousness and change. Because books can be circulated widely and freely; are low maintenance; are long-lasting objects; and formally offer a means to communicate “beyond the limits of an individual life or contacts,” their formal and material aspects have a significant relationship to the typical content, namely, activism.
Many artists’ books are either a unique work; a limited edition; or an inconsistent edition, making them “rare” and/or “auratic” objects. Not only are many artists’ books literally rare, many might seem to have an “auratic” character, producing an unexplainable level of interest or fascination. As Drucker explains, “[t]his is not the same as respect, interest, or other forms of engagement. It has to do with tapping into a certain level of the fantasmatic…”
Notes
- ↑ Drucker, Johanna. The Century of Artists’ Books. Granary Books, 2004.