What book to pick in an art academy’s library? Each one so carefully designed, asking for individual attention and therefor disappear into an abundance of ‘designiness’. It makes me long for the boring book that could potentially surprise me with its content. Perhaps one of those plastic file folders on the top shelves hide some curiosity. Unfortunately, I find out that these are not for students to be looked into – the Quest for Boringness continues. My eyes are caught by a book with a textless beige spine, carrying only the library’s tag: “718.6 pov. 1”.
The color is more band-Aid like beige; it would blend in well with my skin, or my grandmother’s sweater. The surface is slightly textured, but the book’s front has been plasticized by the library for protection. To me, this adds to the sensation of monotony, since so many other books were treated the same way. All individual books have been esthetically democratized by this layer of plastic. This endangers even the most exotic looking book to drown in a pool of textureless mass. This book’s only unique touch might be its shape, which, unlike most surrounding books, is wider then it is tall. Nevertheless, it still hasn’t excited me. Bingo.
Flipping through its pages, I see prints of black and white photographs depicting shop windows, -interiors and -facades. Repeatedly placed on every other page, accompanied with a short description. These photos focus on the design (architecture) that is used to sell other design (product). These designs are made to lure the viewer in; not by their boringness, but their promise of exclusivity. Not much unlike these books in the library. In search for the dull, I ended up with a book about seduction and exclusivity.
I’m quite fascinated by these images. Maybe because I once worked as a sales assistant in a luxury fashion store. A frequent visitor was a well-known Dutch architect, whose experience in designing various (Prada) stores apparently made him a valid person to complain about our bad lighting system. It was too yellow and not bright enough. However, I think he kept visiting our store for its unpretentious appeal; no overly designed cabinets, shelves or fancy lighting systems. A store with a no-nonsense atmosphere; selling quality products through quality service. Like a boring book with neat photographs.
code: 718.6 pov. 1
