The size of the indexed World Wide Web is 15.66 billion pages (http://www.worldwidewebsize.com).

The year is 1924. That’s a long time ago. That’s why this book smells of old grandpa.

The title is intriguing. “Woodcuts, and some words”. An honest title. Plain simple. As if the phrase “what you see is what you get” was authored for this book only. It doesn’t have a fancy wordplay. Someone once upon a time spilled coffee on it. Maybe also dropped a cigarette on it. Drank coffee and smoked cigarettes, while glancing to it’s precious content. This book I’m holding in my hand is some book. Extraordinary. Classic. Both fragile and pretentious at the same time. The thick papers, the fine composition on each page. So elegant and authentic. So anti-industrial, so handmade. This book can teach you how to make woodcuts…

– It’s like an old school version of one of the many ‘how-to’ videos on YouTube. I’m actually holding an offline version of a ‘how-to’ video. It makes me think of information, and how we approach and handle the nonstop floating information on the WWW.

What is the actual difference between information in a book and information on the internet, besides the limited/unlimited amount? I recall my teacher saying something like: “I will recommend you all to buy the book and not make scans and read them on your computer… because… it’s nicer, you know”. What makes us grab a book instead of browsing the web?

What is the fuss about a book in general? Is it because it’s capable of generating a certain feeling or a certain “vibe” which will never be generated from the most awesome and well-made webpage? Is it the typography on the paper, the quality of the paper, the fact that you can touch it and that it isn’t ongoing?

There’s an enormous difference between getting information from a book and getting information from the internet. I, myself, is having a hard time keeping track on the endless amount of available information on the internet. It’s interesting that the information about any subject on the internet is unlimited. It’s like having unlimited access to ‘knowledge’. There’s always more. You’re never finished. It’s ongoing. It will always follow time, never become obsolete.

The information in a book is not developing. There’s a last page. A period. It’s printed and can’t be changed in a sec. No further links. No sudden brand new pages. No updates. No hidden information. What you see is what you get. And *that* somehow puts the whole ‘info on the internet’ in perspective. You never see what you get, until it’s there. Always floating, constantly changing. Eternal information.

Rietveld > lib. cat. no: 755.1

In media res. Irma Boom. Can’t believe she worked on a book for 4 years. 4 years. That’s a lot of time, a lot of energy. A lot of passion. I guess one can easily sense the passion and effort that she puts in the books she makes. I admire her.

But then, there, amongst the passion and well-trimmed books, I find a piece of wood. The book seems hard on the surface. It’s like you can count the growth rings in it. Hard and mushy at the same time. A paradox. It has a story to tell. Kinda like this old grandpa full of wisdom, full of mystery, full of everything you can imagine. Yet it kind of reminds me of those big pieces of cheese. They have also wholes in them, as the book has scratches and bruises here and there. And I guess they, too, have some sorta history. A cheese history, I guess.

I find myself deadly curious about that book. It is enormeous. I wonder how thick the papers are, I wonder how many hands have touched it. I wonder how large the typography is, I wonder how it smells. I wonder if it’s one long story. Oh my, it sure is mysterious. I find myself wondering if it really has pages in it. Or maybe it’s one of those fake-books with a whole inside. No. It is a real book. A modest book. A proud book. A book with a story. I guess that’s kind of ‘meta’. A story that has a story.

The end.

The object I brought has a function of a noserinser. For most people it strikes as a sexual object due to it’s shapes. I think this is interesting.

It is egg shaped and there is a fallic shape growing out of it. It’s made out of ceramics and has a nice glaze. The colour is white with some small imperfections in the glazing. Even though it’s hollow it has a certain weight to it. It looks simple, but it has some interesting details such as the rounded endings and the transition from one shape to another. Another practical detail is the measuring line up to where you fill it with water. It is just a seam but it’s not carved in, it must have been made directly on the throwing table.

The object attracts to touch, and looks easy to grab. I also think it refers to some kind of artifact, it could maybe be a water can, wine carafe, tea pot or something completely else. I find it interesting in it’s simplicity.

From the start there were a lot of ideas of what to make of the shapes. Finally I decided to make a table. The size of the original table would be 90cm x 90cm x 50cm, this would be a good size for a table in the hall. Preferably it would be made of ceramics.

I kept some of the shapes I liked or was interested in from the original noserinser, such as the endings and transitions from one shape to another. The measuring line was also an important element which I kept and presented at the top of the fallic shaped legs.

What is slow? We can always be slow in reference to something
which is faster. Is life fast or slow? It depends how you see it.
I would like to bring your attention to noticing things. Generally we always notice something faster before than something slower. Get used to see the shoe on the other foot, get used to perceive slowness. If life seems too fast for you, give yourself some time. For example every day before going to work, wake up a little earlier and take some time for making yourself a nice breakfast. Be slow, enjoy the activity. Take your time for eating that, feel the taste and smell of your meal. Fix the mind on your food. Look out of the window, see what morning brings. Notice the details. Take a walk when you’re going to somewhere. Breath, be aware of doing that. Notice other people around you – Who is she? Where she’s going to? What she’s thinking of? Concentrate. You are surrounded by details, find them, play with them. Be interested in things.
Notice sun, notice rain, notice snow. Give yourself some time to notice!