PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Japan Art Revolution is the first comprehensive English-language overview of Japan's 1960–79 avant-garde, an extraordinary time of artistic explosion where experimental photography, Butoh dance, Angura theatre, graphic design and street performance emerged from the ashes of World War II.

My first encounter with this world was through Terayama Shūji's photobook Photothèque imaginaire, a kaleidoscope of vivid colours, playful and provocative, imbued with a dreamlike strangeness and disturbing beauty. Digging deeper, I found a whole universe of artists who shared that spirit of invention and defiance. I knew I had to make a film and a book about it.

Discovering books designed by Yokoo Tadanori and Awazu Kiyoshi was a revelation. Their designs are a complete sensory overload, with colour everywhere, typography colliding, illustrations layered over photographs, unexpected textures, graphic details crammed into every inch. It could amount to complete chaos, but somehow they turn it into a perfectly cohesive whole, and each page is an artwork in its own right. That spirit shaped my approach to designing Japan Art Revolution.

I am also a film editor, and in some ways book design is similar, but without music or moving images, you have to find other ways to convey rhythm and energy. For several intense months, I found myself in a state of pure, frenzied inspiration, where the design seemed to flow effortlessly, as if the book were designing itself. I hope the book makes people want to dive deeper and get completely lost in this world, the way I did.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 8.4 x 1.4 x 10.8 inches

Number of Pages: 320

Binding Method:

Paper: Uncoated

Typefaces:

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director:

Art Director:

Book Designer: Amélie Ravalec

Jacket/Cover Designer: Tristan de Lancey

Illustrator:

Photographer:

Picture Editor:

Production Director:

Production Coordinator:

Production Artist:

Other Credits:

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