Designblog

Before I could set my foot into the room

my thoughts of the current day still wandering through my mind,

the first book started to scream at me,

more precisely it was a magazine.

It was smaller and lighter than a book but it did not matter for this little
rascal resting on the cupboard shelf, screaming was of no hindrance.

It was forcing my attention with its hypnotizing pink and purple colors.

I was captivated for a while.

But as our over agitated society,

it was this attraction soon diminished by attendance of other screaming books.

One even more vividly present with fancy words than the other.

All of them screaming choose me, grab me, take me with you.

And there between all these overflows of impulsions,

my eyes fell in a pool of ease and silence.

Dark as a black night.

The absorbing forces of the dark black colors where clearly sensible.

I was pulled inside, being there a fountain of colors appeared before my eyes.

Calm sound colors this time, thoroughly and logically arranged.

How great is the privilege to be in a corner of a library where no man set foot before.

Where you can disappear and meander away into other worlds for a while in the abundance of mind gushing stories.

Distracted from the swiftness of reality.

R.Hermans

757.3 -hol- 1

I rented two books ‘Alchemie & Mystiek’ edition 1997 and edition 2006, just to be on the safe side if one where to be better then the other one, no difference between them in the end. I randomly picked the 1997 edtion because it was laying on its back, and would have returned it had the contents not been so fascinating. Here a selection;

Macrocosmos, Ptolemaeus, Brahe, Copernicus, Sun, Moon, Lower Astronomy, Divine Bodies, Genesis, World-egg, Opus Magnum, Elementa chemicae, Adams Fall, Chaos, Ressurection, Aurora, Filosofical Tree, Sefiroth, Ab uno, Oedipus chimicus, Snake, Conjunctio Rosarium Philosophorum, Androgyn, Separatio, Trinity, Fire, Filosofical-egg, Matrix, Source, Dhristus-lapis, Blood, Microcosmos, Human form Divine, Brains and memory, Rotation, Divine geometry.

These concepts gave me associations to my childhoud, when i used to read a lot about these subjects. But these days it reminds me more of the fascination of man, trying to percieve reality trough metafysical thinking.  How he failed miserably,  but through his failing created great stories and art

905.0 roob 1

There are two feelings I have with libraries. I’ll put these two feelings in words:

Feeling #1. Being in a library makes me feel intelligent. Surrounded by all this knowledge there is no other option for me.

Feeling #2. Being in a library makes me feel dumb. Surrounded by all this knowledge I was never able, in my library history, to pick out a smart, interesting and mind-opening book.

I went to the library with an optimistic feeling; I went there with the intention to find the book that’ll make my day. I spend thirty minutes (approximately) looking for the most smart, interesting and mind-opening book. After picking out thirteen (approximately) smart, interesting and mind-opening looking books, feeling #2 was once again confirmed. All the thirteen books were swindlers.

Book #13. was the worst, it was never lend before, though it stood here between the “s,i,m-o” books since 1994. (Yes indeed, for fifteen years). The book was a waste of paper. I had to lend this book; we are soul mates in a way, both library losers.

774.7 zee 1

The white spot in the middle of the book immediately grabbed my attention. It’s the only element you see on the book. The rest is covered with denim. Strange actually because the book contains information about the Japanese architecture. And denim is typical ´West´. But for me strange is not that negative, I think it is quite interesting.

Actually I don’t know anything about Japanese architecture. But I was thinking about it, because the last two years I learnt a lot about the Japanese environment. I wondered if you could see the Japanese flora and fauna back into their architecture (which it does).

While flipping the pages you only see black and white photographs which show the simplicity of their architecture. It shows a lot of buildings with interesting spaces, lines and basic elements. I really recognize ‘Japan’ in it.

It’s a squared book fit in one color which I like. Not too big, not to small and it really wanted to tell me something about buildings created with natural elements of Japan.

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7/3.3

Shoin

Searching without an objective search criterion in a library seems to contradict the way a library is organized. However, after deciding that it is exactly this intellectual approach that I need to abandon, I decide to approach the books basing my choice on feelings and preferences alone.

1. I like graphic art

2. I like vivid colors

I notice a book that is a faded neon pink. I recognize it, because I have it at home, twice. Living with my boyfriend has caused some books to be connected with a twin, and our copies of ‘Een teken aan de wand’ are standing next to each other on the shelf, looking beautiful.

Should I choose this book? Isn’t it too obvious, seeing that I know it, have read it, used it in projects and above all, that it concerns some of my favorite topics: feminism and human rights? Yes I should, neon pink looks even better times three.

754.1 Hof1

While looking for a book I was in search of something with a personal link to me since this is the first time I expose myself on this blog. Finally my choice was a book called “Indiaanse Tekens en Symbolen” (Indian signs and Symbols) written by Carren Caraway. I chose this particular book for no better reason than for the fact that I have a very strong love-hate relation to Indian symbols and forms of art embracing them. I always found them fascinating and pleasing to look at. But on the other hand they inherit an enormous risk of slipping into kitsch. Especially in pieces of so-called modern art these Indian symbols are often abused to produce gaudy trash. This picture I scanned from page 200 represents the Raven. He’s the central figure in the mythology of the Haida – a tribe that lived on the North West Shore in Canada.

754.9 cara 1

This book is conceptional. Size is small. Color is white. It has no image.
It is very simple that’s why it works well when you read this book.
There is no disturbance. You can see only a few word in the middle of page.
For example ‘A distance of 86 steps‘.

Each page has different number of steps.
Minimum is 3 steps. maximum is 3252004362 steps.
I can imagine the place if I walk this steps then I can reach somewhere.
In general we don’t notice about steps before we walk somewhere.
So this book can make us become aware of the number of steps.

Catalog number : brouw4

Library politic department

As the title of my book already suggest, it is all about books. I choose for a book, which shows a collection of the most interesting libraries in Holland, all supported by interesting pictures of them. It is all about the silence and intellectual atmosphere that fits into the library. The reason I took this book is because it is about the industrial architecture were books need to fit in perfectly.

The title of the book is called: “/hier groeien boeken uit de grond” which means: “Books are growing out of the ground”. The photographers and designers show you how books can be part of the design of the building, which was for me the most important reason to choose for this book. When I look at the images in this book, I get the feeling of the enormous archive of all kind of letters, words, lines and story’s there are in a library, but also in the whole world.

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I entered the library with the intention of taking the first book that catches my eye, even it is based on pure visual, superficial attraction.
The book that I noticed first was standing right next to me and I instantly decided to take it because it brought me back to my past. It was a massive book called S, M, L, XL by architect Rem Koolhaas in collaboration  with designer Bruce Mau. I was 13 years old when I  held it in my hands for the first time and I was playing with it by choosing words and sentences from it randomly, translating them into my own language and retyping them in my big book of quotes. Today, 6 years after I played this game again and picked with my finger, with my eyes closed. The word was DISORDER.

-KOOL- 2a

The book that attracted my eye hold the promising title „The new textiles“ and can be found in the library „Textile“ section. Although the word „new“ is no longer valid as it refers to the 80’s and early 90’s, the book could still – through its vast range of images – nurture my curiosity about the possibilities of the textile and its value as the work of art. The traditional textures are treated as abstract objects, out from their usual use and the common field of associations. One can find the textures wrapped, stretched, broke into pieces, collaged, melted in the high temperature, or replaced by materials not considered as textiles in the traditional sense: papers, wires, needles, glass etc. All those actions broaden the sense of what textile can became, especially when it becomes an work of art.

'White Arc 3' Akio Hamatani 1983

Catalogue Number: 779.0 col 1

I find myself wandering in the jewellery section, in my search for an interesting book. But what to choose? What appeals to me? Suddenly my gaze stops at a word that strikes me, in my search of making a choice:

‘Choice’.

I’m choosing choice.

The cover shows some kind of structure, which reminds me of the pathways of airplanes, drawn on a world map. Only in this case it’s not cities on the map, but the jewellery artists and the types of jewellery described in the book. ‘Brosche’ (the German word for brooch) is a busy airport, as well as ‘Barbara Maas’.
When I take a closer look at the colophon of the book, I realize that my assumptions were wrong. Not only the jewellery artists are mentioned on this world map, but also the key author: Barbara Maas. That explains all the airplanes flying towards her.
To me, this cover shows all the choices Barbara Maas has made, writing this book. Now I am choosing, I am choosing ‘Choice’.

777.6 –cat- 295

“subjective library” images and flickr tag-cloud

Read the reflections of A and C group’s journey into the Rietveld Library’s Design and Art section. This journey to investigate, made our fascinations, preconceptions and hidden desires manifest. How does a subjective book choice create a personal mirror and leaves traces of tags, connecting Design to Art, exposing autonomy in both.

Read about the subjective, open and intiutive first book choice from the Design section of our library. Wonder about the tags connected to those accounts. Follow the continuing story as a second book is selected based on those tags created. Witness the third posting in which those sets of tags lead us from Design to Art. A move that forces us to reflect upon the connection between them both.

Follow the continuing accounts of the three succeeding investigating postings by clicking on the yellow link. Experience the total list of tags created during this “Subjective Library” Project.

LIST OF TAGS:

3289 days, A4, cover, funky colors, television, unatractive, film photography : fauna, flora, interesting, lines, strange, fluffy, simple, horrible, brainwork, complicated, proud, “to know” : disorder, game, grid, systematization, “One Minute Sculpture” : library, swindler, breaking news, library loser, extraordinary, talented : space, absence-presence, framework, surrounding, returning : abnormal, rediscover, choice, plain, others : 1000, 754., direction, signs, city, direction, traffic, political, posters : blue Pinocchio, screaming, spine of book, blue, Pinocchio, blue fairy, eyecandy, contemporary, folk, mentality : not getting there, unknown, judging by covers, content, connection, strangers, subject : supermarket, theft, housewife, tiny, midlife crisis, multilingual : logic, question, reason, consciousness, interest, remarks, impossible, mathematical, perspective : attraction, strange, swissfolk, art, death, life, love, Maurizio Cattelan : cover, old book, unique, obsession, miniature : Anita, eyes, portrait, dominant, name, color, film : Wiener Werkstätte, characteristic, hand work, mass fabrication, original, process, realization, detail, photography, the nude : cheap fashion, funny, random, tattoo, tribe, weird, mysterious, tribe : attraction, new texture, action, quick, warning, a priori, new, amusement, choices, eye-catching, eyes, random : escape reality, library, overflow of impulses, fruitless reality, jostling time, absorbing force, déjà-vu : arrange, industrial, library, architecture, museum, self-made, Andreas Gursky, index : city, nomadic, reality, funky, colors, interiors : contrast, fat, texture, typography, culture, nudity : conceptional, distance, no image, steps, thinking space, braille : cat, compulsive, font, chaos, subjective, illustration, objective, random, Tadao Ando : airplane, airport, choice, structure, worldmap, 756, 80’s, human, machines, unique, flying : dot, jewelry, shapes & forms, yellow, children, fun, paint, playful, all colors, blue, green, theory : extraordinary, life, normal, objects, absurd : 80’s, desire, fashion, party, techno, desire, fabrics, orgasmatic : alchemy, identical, methaphysics, mysticism, mythology, Arabic, identical, inaccurate, ladies, naked, orient, sculptures, stereotypes : Canada, Indian symbols, kitsch, raven, Indian art, Mexico, Jeff Koons, porn : attraction, gold, meeting an old lover, recognition, cheap, irresistibility, not psychology, wrong, beauty, compare, contrast, couple, same, similarity, together, two books, ugliness : connection, embroidery, hundred years, death, funerals, general terms, invisible, object, spirit, visible : color, feeling, personal story, feminism, graphic : first sight, mystery, old-fashioned, bloody, mad, rituals, revelatory, Yin : oblivion, automatic lives, bottom shelve, eat, mantra, story-making, colorful, dogs, double-take, eat sleep, vases, vegetables : attracted, nothing, black, disturbing.

still curious read the books involved at the Gerrit Rietveld Library, (catalogue numbers are included).