PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Presenting works from the early 20th century to today, The Paradox of Stillness: Art, Object, and Performance examines the notion of stillness as both a performative and visual gesture, featuring practitioners who have constructed static or near-static experiments that hover somewhere between action and representation as they are experienced in the gallery space. The exhibition investigates performance from the perspective of the object rather than the body, examining how performance has reinterpreted traditional artistic mediums. In the other direction, it also looks at still images that somehow embody movement, transcending their own framing devices.

To embody this concept of pregnant stillness, we began with understanding the form of the book through the lens of time and pacing. The title page and section title pages were translated into long stretches of black pages, with one word per page, to allow the reader to slow down and reconsider their relationship with the book.

Another strategy was to suggest movement within still images. This was achieved on the front and back cover by choosing images of works that involve movement, and then blind-embossing the objects in the photos in different stages of movement. This gives the images a ghostly sense of possibilities, and encourages the viewer to dive more deeply into the photos. The covers are printed cloth, which allows the blind-embossing to have a very tactile effect.

The typography was designed to feel classic with a contemporary twist, since the thesis of the book examined archetypal concepts over multiple decades.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 8 x 11

Number of Pages: 328

Binding Method: Smyth-sewn hardcover

Paper: 100 gsm Munken pure rough 1.4

Typefaces: Vega; Geometric 212

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director: Emmet Byrne

Art Director:

Book Designer: Alex DeArmond

Jacket/Cover Designer: Alex DeArmond

Illustrator:

Photographer:

Picture Editor:

Production Director:

Production Coordinator:

Production Artist:

Other Credits: Alanna Nissen - Design Studio Manager ; Greg Beckel - Senior Image Specialist ; Karen Jacobson - Editor ;

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