My project initially seemed straightforward, but I soon realized that the undertaking was much more profound than I had imagined. The question I began with was simple. What is the best way to portray an artist book online? Artists’ books are physical objects that convey meaning through structure, form and content. These books are works of art that transcend beyond their role as paper and ink containers for stories. What happens to their materiality on a digital medium?
To tackle this question, I began inspecting the methods artists currently engaged in bookmaking use to display their work on digital platforms. Simultaneously, I read articles and opinions about technology and tangible art, “dematerialized” art, online galleries, portfolios, etc.
I was able to break down an artist book and art in general into two components — fixed and variable. The fixed component comprises the viewing of a book object as is. This component is objective: the materials used to make the artist book, the handmade paper, the leather binding, the inks, the impression of the printing press, the style of binding, and so forth. These practical elements of an artists’ book can be translated digitally with a good understanding of composition, lighting, photography and compelling descriptions. This skill comes with practice and a knowledge of good digital design. One cannot recreate the feeling of handmade paper on a screen, but one can come close to depicting it. The guide I am working on will elaborate on this aspect.
The second component, i.e., the variable component, comprises the experience of interacting with an artists’ book. Like art of any kind, there is a subjective and emotional response that these book objects elicit. You might love the book, hate it, form a deep bond with it, or not care for it. But there is an emotional response, suggested by the practical elements that make it. The question here, then, is whether a digitally presented artists’ book would be able to elicit a similar response from the viewer that the physical book object does.

While the fixed aspect is more straightforward to approach, I am at a crossroads right now in deciding how much of the variable component I can cover during the remaining weeks. Are there specific methods to replicate such an experience? And if there is, can it be distilled into a guide form where one solution fits all? Or is this a futile exercise?

 

— Poojana Prasanna