The Book as Studio as an Idea as an Object

bookdummypress:

bdp Interview Series no.6 : Pierre Le Hors

It is a great pleasure for us to feature an interview with Pierre Le Hors and his new book “Patterned Standard of Scenic Dressing”.

Pierre’s books constitutes the living chronicle of the Artist’s craft: From his first work, free and innovative visual experiences of “RGB Transferences” and “Firework Studies”, to his most recent books “Patterned Standard of Scenic Dressing” and “Byways & Through Lines”. Each of Pierre’s books carry implicitly within the perseverance and application required by the craft of book design. His books inspire great beauty and intelligence in its purest state.

The book presented with this interview “Patterned Standard of Scenic Dressing” speaks to the mind directly through the senses by means of graphic symbols. 

 

bdp: What is the function of an artist studio for you?

PLH: It’s a place to play with materials, to look for connections between what catches our eye, and - in the best of circumstances - to work through problems and open up new ways of working.

But I find that it’s just as important to allow yourself to fail, or to not produce anything at all — sometimes just showing up and putting in some time is half the battle. Sometimes the hardest part is learning to recognize the failures, putting on a record and giving yourself the time to think.

 

bdp: Why do you make books?

PLH: First and foremost, I’d say that bookmaking is a really useful way of organizing and making sense of photographs. On their own, photos are difficult objects to deal with: thin, fragile sheets of paper that tend to get smudged, bent or creased. My prints mostly end up in boxes, and get taken out from time to time. Or they sit and accumulate on my hard drive. But when individual prints are bound together into a book, they become easier to handle, sturdier, and take on a real dimension and physicality as an object. Books on my shelf feel at once more accessible to me, more attractive, and less precious than loose prints. The series of decisions that bookmaking necessitates allows me to come to terms with my pictures.

 

bdp: What do you think is the connection between your books?

PLH: To be honest, I don’t spend so much time thinking about the connections between them - the fact that I made them all is connection enough, in my mind. Each one is probably simply a reflection of where I was at, at the time, in my work.

 

bdp: Tell us a little bit about the experience on making “Patterned Standards of Scenic Dressing”.

PLH: Laying out that book was challenging, because the photos are all more or less variations on the same subject: intersecting dot patterns. I had edited the photos down to about 40 or 50 pictures, and I tried to come up with a way to hold someone’s attention, as they move forward through an essentially repetitive set of images. I’m not sure if the book succeeds in doing that, exactly, but I ended up cropping the pictures further and leaving more negative space on the page as the book progresses. There are also a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure.

 

bdp: What do you think is the next direction on your bookmaking?

PLH: I’m not sure I know quite yet. At the moment, I’m trying to redesign my website in a way that reflects more accurately how I see images functioning across various projects, be it books or other material.

☆ Click here to see Pierre’s publications at bdp bookstore! 

☆ Check out Pierre’s website for more → http://blog.pierrelehors.com/

☆ Visit bookdummypress website for more artists’ interviews!

bdpインタビュー シリーズ no.6：ピエール ラオール

ピエール ラオールのつくる本は、彼のクラフトに対する日々の記録で構成されている。例えばそれは、自由で革新的な初期作品『RGB Transferences』や『Firework Studies』から、最新作の『Patterned Standard of Scenic Dressing』や『Byways & Through Lines』にまで共通することで、一つ一つに彼の根気と見えざる努力がそのブックデザインに隠されている。それだから、彼の作品は最も純粋なかたちで多くの美しさと知性を刺激するのだと思う。

このインタビューで紹介されている『Patterned Standard of Scenic Dressing』は、グラフィックシンボルを使い、あらゆる感覚を通して直接私たちの心に語りかける渾身の一冊。

 

bdp: ピエールにとってのスタジオ／アトリエとは？

PLH: スタジオは、素材で遊んだり、目についたものの中から繋がりを探したりする場所かな。そして何よりも、疑問に取り組み、新しい作業の仕方を切り開くのに適した環境だと思う。

そうは言っても、失敗したり、時には何も創らなかったりすることも同じくらい大切で、肝心なのはスタジオで時間を過ごすこと。過ちを認めて前にすすむためには、自分自身に考える時間を与えることが必要。それが一番難しいけどね。

 

bdp: なぜ本を作るの？

一番の理由としては、本作りは写真を整理したり、解釈するのにとても便利だから。写真そのものは、ペラペラで脆く、すぐ汚れたり、折れたり、しわが寄ったりして扱いにくい。実際に、僕のプリントもたまに取り出して見るくらいで、結局は箱の中かハードドライブに蓄積されていくのが落ち。でもそれを一冊の本にまとめれば、頑丈で扱いやすくなるし、物体としての次元がよりリアルになる。本を作り始めてから、自宅の棚にある本への愛情が増してまた手を伸ばすようになったし、プリントに比べて気兼ねなく手にすることができる。今まで本作りで培ってきた経験が、自分の写真との折り合いをつける手助けになってくれているよ。

 

bdp: ピエールの作品たちに共通する事は?

正直言って、作品の共通点についてはあまり考えないかな。僕が作ったっていう事実がすべてを繋げていると思う。それぞれの作品は、たぶんその時の僕の立ち位置を表しているんだ。

 

bdp: 最新作「Patterned Standards of Scenic Dressing」を作った時のことを少し聞かせて。

この本は、色んなバリエーションで撮った水玉模様から構成されているけど、レイアウトがとくに難しかったよ。基本的に同じイメージの繰り返しだから、写真の数を40〜50枚くらいまで減らして、見てくれる人の集中力がとぎれない様になんとか工夫しないといけなかった。今でもその点に関して成功したかは分からないけどね。思っていた以上に写真をクロップしたし、ページをめくる毎に空白の部分を多く残すように仕上げてみたんだ。おまけに、いくつかサプライズも仕掛けてみたよ。

 

bdp: 次はどんな本作りを考えている？

まだ分からないかな。とりあえず、今は自分のウェブサイトをデザインし直しているところ。本にしても、そうじゃなくても、様々なプロジェクトに取り組んでいく中で、イメージがどういう役割を果たしているかをもう少し的確に伝えられるためにね。

 

☆ bdp ブックストアで扱っているピエールの作品はコチラから。

☆ ピエールのウェブサイト→ http://blog.pierrelehors.com/

☆ 他のアーティスト インタビューを読みたい方はコチラ

“The Desire To Leave A Mark”, 2012-2013  New Daily Painting Series…

bookdummypress:

Newsprint Award 2013 CALL FOR SUBMISSION!!!

 

A catalogue sample for Newsprint publication!

“Venezuelan Photobooks & Catalogues” by Victor Sira

Published: 2010 
International Center of Photography / bookdummypress 
Newspaper Print 
Edition: First Edition 
Special Edition package limited of 100 
Condition: New 

http://store.bookdummypress.com/product/venezuelan-photobooks-catalogues-by-victor-sira

This first exhibition on Latin American photo books at the ICP Library brings together some of the most important examples of Photo books and catalogues from Venezuela and its goal is to explore the works and the ideas that have motivated them.

 

back in stock at bdp bookstore!

bookdummypress:

“RGB Transferences” by Pierre Le Hors is back in stock at bdp bookstore!
http://store.bookdummypress.com/product/rgb-transferences-by-pierre-le-hors

If you missed the first time, now is the chance to get a copy of this beautiful collection of photographs by Pierre printed on newsprint.

bookdummypress:

Newsprint Award 2013 CALL FOR SUBMISSION!!!

great layout sample for Newsprint publication!
Lumen series by artbeat publishers:
Shin Suzuki 『CITE』(Lumen#6)
40pages / edition 1000

http://a-b-p.jp/bookslist/page/2

Bookdummypress and Reminders Project Stronghold have joined forces to launch a new photography publication award. It celebrates the newsprint’s contribution to the evolving creativity of self-publishing.　Newsprint is a medium with minimal commercial strings attached and allow for a range of experimentation. It has the potential of reaching a diverse audience, the work will be spread to a wider area, faster. It is an autonomous medium accessible to all. This award is intended to stimulate to take a renew approach towards this format and to introduce photographers to a way to self-publish and self-distribute their work.

Read more at our description page or RPS website:http://reminders-project.org/rps/

Don’t forget to “Like” Newsprint Award facebook page for more information!!

bookdummypress:

Newsprint Award 2013 CALL FOR SUBMISSION!!!

Lumen series by artbeat publishers:
Kishin Shinoyama『Vintage Time Photography』
40pages / edition 1000

http://a-b-p.jp/2009/09/lumen04

Bookdummypress and Reminders Project Stronghold have joined forces to launch a new photography publication award. It celebrates the newsprint’s contribution to the evolving creativity of self-publishing.　Newsprint is a medium with minimal commercial strings attached and allow for a range of experimentation. It has the potential of reaching a diverse audience, the work will be spread to a wider area, faster. It is an autonomous medium accessible to all. This award is intended to stimulate to take a renew approach towards this format and to introduce photographers to a way to self-publish and self-distribute their work.

Read more at our description page or RPS website:http://reminders-project.org/rps/

Don’t forget to “Like” Newsprint Award facebook page for more information!!

bookdummypress:

Newsprint Award 2013 CALL FOR SUBMISSION!!!

More Newsprint examples!
Lumen series by artbeat publishers:
Stephen Gill『THE HACKNEY RAG』(Lumen#3)
40 pages / edition 1000
http://a-b-p.jp/2009/09/lumen03-stephen-gill

Bookdummypress and Reminders Project Stronghold have joined forces to launch a new photography publication award. It celebrates the newsprint’s contribution to the evolving creativity of self-publishing.　Newsprint is a medium with minimal commercial strings attached and allow for a range of experimentation. It has the potential of reaching a diverse audience, the work will be spread to a wider area, faster. It is an autonomous medium accessible to all. This award is intended to stimulate to take a renew approach towards this format and to introduce photographers to a way to self-publish and self-distribute their work.

Read more at our description page or RPS website:http://reminders-project.org/rps/

Don’t forget to “Like” Newsprint Award facebook page for more information!!

bookdummypress:

More Newsprint examples!

What you can do with Newsprint!
Lumen series by artbeat publishers:
Tomoo Gokita『GREY SCALE』 ＋ Masayuki Shioda『DOGOO HAIR』(Lumen #1)
48pages / edition 1000

http://a-b-p.jp/2006/05/lumen01-gokita-shioda

Newsprint Award 2013 CALL FOR SUBMISSION!!!

Bookdummypress and Reminders Project Stronghold have joined forces to launch a new photography publication award. It celebrates the newsprint’s contribution to the evolving creativity of self-publishing.　Newsprint is a medium with minimal commercial strings attached and allow for a range of experimentation. It has the potential of reaching a diverse audience, the work will be spread to a wider area, faster. It is an autonomous medium accessible to all. This award is intended to stimulate to take a renew approach towards this format and to introduce photographers to a way to self-publish and self-distribute their work.

Read more at our description page or RPS website:http://reminders-project.org/rps/

Don’t forget to “Like” Newsprint Award facebook page for more information!!

bookdummypress:

NEWSPRINT AWARD 2013 JURORS!!

Our 2013 guest jurors are Matthew Carson and Tomo Kosuga!

bookdummypress:

 Bookdummypress and Reminders Project Stronghold have joined forces to launch a new photography publication award. It celebrates the newsprint’s contribution to the evolving creativity of self-publishing.　

 Newsprint is a medium with minimal commercial strings attached and allow for a range of experimentation. It has the potential of reaching a diverse audience, the work will be spread to a wider area, faster. It is an autonomous medium accessible to all. This award is intended to stimulate to take a renew approach towards this format and to introduce photographers to a way to self-publish and self-distribute their work. 

- APPLICATION DEADLINE -

Submissions accepted from March 20th – May 1st, 2013.   

Please send all submissions to: http://bit.ly/newsprint2013

*Give us the link to access your pdf file, or send it through any file transfer website. PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH THE FILE AND SEND BY EMAIL.

If you have any questions: newsprint2013@reminders-project.org 

- GUIDELINES - 

The Newsprint Award is an award open to individual photographer/artist. Submissions must consist of coherent photo projects for a 24-page newsprint publication, not a portfolio of the images, tabloid size (43.18 cm × 27.942 cm)(17 in × 11.0 in), color or B/W.  All submissions should be in PDF format with approximately 400-word project description. Any text within the project must be in English or Japanese. No Entry Fee.

- PDF file (Tabloid size, 24pages)

- Project Description – 400 words (EN or JP)

- Résumé / Narrative Bio – 700 words (EN or JP) 

- AWARD -

The winning project will be announced on June 1st, 2013 and will be published in July 2013. He/She will be awarded with an opportunity to have their work published in newsprint and exhibited in Tokyo, together working with RPS and bdp to ensure the dissemination of the project to as wide an audience as possible.

日本語のインフォメーションはコチラから→ http://reminders-project.org/rps/newsprint-award-2013jp/

Like Newsprint Award facebook page for updates!

New at the bdp store…

bookdummypress:

New artist publication available at bdp bookstore:
“Selections from the Joint Photographic Survey”
by Adam Ryder
http://store.bookdummypress.com/product/selections-from-the-joint-photographic-survey-by-adam-ryder

It is a re-curation of a (fictional) document which purports to contain photographs taken by a joint Colonial Transjordanian-Palestinian team. The photographs as seen in book and print from are supposedly documents of historic architecture and monuments from the Holy Land in the 1920’s.

The images that comprise the Survey work are in fact digitally-created composite images sources from free-use photographs found on the Library of Congress website, primarily from a large collection donated by the American Colony in Jerusalem. In creating these architectural composites, Ryder seeks to underscore how the built environment of this particular area of the Middle East lays bare the cultural revision and re-inscibing that has taken place there over centuries, creating a jumble of stylistic choices that point to the ideological shifts that have swayed so extremely in the area.

<Adam Ryder>

Adam Ryder is an artist working in lens-based mediums living in Brooklyn, NY.  He hold an MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and a BA in Studio Arts from Clark University in Worcester, MA.  He has been the recipient of both an individual artist grant and an artist residency and has shown in the US as well as the UK.  Ryder’s two most recent projects are “Areth: An Architectural Atlas” and “Selections from the Joint Photographic Survey.”  Both bodies of work incorporate  a series of photographic prints and independently-published photo books.

For more information, check out Adam’s website →
http://adamryder.com/

Stumble into some Japanese vintage magazines at the bdp store… 

bookdummypress:

“Shashin Shuhou” vol.15, 32, 76 (Photography Weekly)
http://store.bookdummypress.com/products?search=shashin+shuhou&search-submit=

Shashin Shuhou is a total of 375 weekly photography magazine series that was published for only 7 years from 1938-1945 by the Japanese government information bureau. Pictures were taken by Ihei Kimura, Ken Domon, Taikichi Irie and other known and unknown photographers. A great example of prewar Japanese documentary photography with well designed ads on the back cover.