I chose the book Ethical Actions: A Critical Fine Art Practice based on it’s size and colour.
There is a whole section in the middle of the book which is red and the cover has this mystical redness to it.
The book being a red thread I grabbed and then tried to find this red thread throughout the book.
I have been very attracted to the colour red lately and it has been like a red thread in my life having lured me towards it.
I wear a red coat and red glasses and I feel the best if I am wearing the colour red from head to toe. For me the colour red reminds me of something warm. Maybe by being so drawn to the colour I might be getting closer to something of value in life. Getting warmer.
Getting back to the book from the colour red I get so distracted by the book is very convenient both in size and shape.
Fits well in your hand. It’s quite a decent thickness and I like how therefor the pages are matte and quite sturdy. It has quite a strong interior. The overall design and layout is quite clean and well-balanced by text and images which are given enough room to breathe. It also helped that the artist was a woman and the editor are women.
The book is designed by a design practice called Julia.
Here I leave a link to their website but there you can see several images from the book. These images will give you a good idea about what this text is about or the content and layout of the book.
https://julia.studio/project/monica-ross/
http://www.lespressesdureel.com/EN/ouvrage.php?id=5207&menu=
The publication fully documents Ross’s works from the year 1970 to 2013. She worked with video, drawing, installation and text.
She was very socially engaged and a feminist. Her artwork is know for being very performative. Her work is said to have left a deep effect on contemporary art and society.
When you open the book quickly you can see that it is divided into three sections.
The first section appears to be essays about the artist Monica Ross, by other well known theorists and artists. For each essay there is a lot of space given to the title, the name of the people writing the essay and a photo which seems to be of a piece or an artwork related to the content of each essay.
The first spread before each essay, introducing individual writer with a name of the author and the photograph, are all design in the same way.
The essays themselves on the other hand are either placed vertical, situated in the middle of each page or horizontal, spread over two pages. Some of the essays also have photographs intertwined in the text.
Then we are situated in the exact middle of the book where there is a bunch of red pages. On these pages is a critical text, piece or an essay written by the artist. The text is situated on the left and is written in the style of a prose or a poem.
The colour red seems intentional because when you look at the pages on the inside of the cover of the book, they are also red. So in a way it is like she, the artist, runs through the book. Like a red thread. With the red pages opening, closing and centering the content.
In the second half, the third section of the book, are photographs of works by the artist.
It seems to be more informative and is very clearly sectioned. It is easy to find what the reader might be looking for. A summary of all the works with small pictures and a short text that seems to be information about each artwork. Then the paper changes from matte to slightly more glossy and the photographs of the works are printed bigger so the reader gets the opportunity to observe them. Most of the photographs seemingly being documentation of her performances.
Like I said earlier the book is mostly printed on matte pages. Including the cover. The font is in most cases the same and very approachable to the reader.
Between each section there is enough space that gives the reader time or room to breathe or to contemplate or appreciate the content throughout the book highlighting the essays and the artists work as separate peaces. This book is said to be a valuable art-historical document and is designed in a very accessible way.
Monica Ross : ethical actions: a critical fine art practice , designer: Julia, Rietveld Library Cat. no: ros, m 1