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"seduction" Tag


Indulgence at the beach


Thursday, December 6, 2018

Keeping my keywords in mind I drifted around during two afternoons, allowed myself to get a bit more ’lost’ in the library.

This book was squeezed in tight between other books on the shelf, but that only made it stand out more. I noticed its crooked pages seen from the top, making an interesting pattern.

I recognize the look of those pages. I feel like I know them well.
It is clear that this book at some point have been soaked completely wet in the top. And after the drying the pages now take on this beautiful soft curve, reminding me instantly of rivers. Somehow once material have been soaked it always leave a trace of water.

Clear nostalgia, I have tried it myself. Being caught in the rain with school books, drying them in frantic desperation on radiators and in front of the fireplace.
By instinct I smelled the book. Not took bad for being drenched! I only got a fragile musky scent from its pages.

I almost laughed out loud when I finally saw the books cover in all its glory: A tilted shoot; blue skies over a crystal blue ocean, a wave spilling over perfect white sand. In the sand a heart is drawn, and the flamboyant bold letters “LIQUID LOVE” is plastered in the middle.
Incredibly kitsch and yet irresistibly charming. –I both love and hate it.
I mean – who came up with that idea? For what reason? Amazing, I was stunned in full five minutes taking in the glory of the scenery.
It is clearly a book with personality.

Scenes like this are quite ionic. The island ‘paradise’. Blue skies, ocean, alone on a welcoming beach. The heart is really what makes this over the top – a sign of silly, clumsy first love. Desperate to prove itself and has to take form as initials carved into trees and hearts traces in the sand. And then you can watch as the ocean swallows it.

Then title in itself is quite spectacular “LIQUID LOVE”. The ultimate seduction, dripping from the title with desire. A love that is liquid, able to sneak in anywhere, binding, making you captured in its grasp.

By making this third choice I reveal my own fascinations. When choosing a books; wear, fragility and imperfections intrigues my curiosity and help me create a personality in which I can indulge.

 

This book can be found at: 305.9 bau 1.

Sun Bathing Serifs


Thursday, December 6, 2018

The boring becoming bold, the extravagant turning average. The library’s context has the power to change the appearance of each individual book. 

My last tag word ‘seduction’ resulted in the “The Pleasure of the Text”. A rather thin book, with the linking tag word as its main subject. And to admit, this is the most seducing copies I have seen during my Quest so far. Its beige cover contains the names of the author, title and translator. Each name centrally positioned and written in classical typeface. I remember talking about this daring design approach in Art Theory class; the rigorous use of classicism in an age of uncentered cacophony.

The title and author’s name are written on the spine, covering the top two thirds of its space. It looks like the book’s designer respectfully left enough space for a library-sticker to be added on its lower third part. The letters give a sense of monumentalism, probably because they’re all written in capital letters. This book is small, has only 67 pages, but seems to express importance and something all-compassing. Is if it contains words of the Bible, or the Tao Te Ching.

To me, the feeling of seduction grows out of its minimal means: the simple action of printing ink on paper, black on white. Simple rules created by human beings offering millions of possibilities and meanings. 

While in search for this book, I initially looked up its cover online before picking it up at the library. Just so I would maybe recognize it faster inside the library. It looked different online. The original title “Le Plaisir du Texte” was written in a smaller typeface. Also, the name of the translator was missing (because obsolete). This created a sense of generosity by the amount of extra empty space surrounding each word. They were given more focus and therefore value.

The letters of the current book I have in front of me are more frivolous, and seem to almost touch each other. The ‘h’s’, ’T’s and ‘l’s’ seem to tickle the lines above and below. The text pleasures itself.

Because of aging and exposure to light, the cover’s background color turned from white to beige. I imagine this book is left in the sun often by its temporary owners – I imagine them taking a break from the pleasure the words give them during their holidays on the beach. Absorbing the sun like they absorbed the text.

 

803.1 bar 1

 

 

A soft seduction


Thursday, November 29, 2018

I looked up books with my first keyword: soft.
Soon I got guided to the first floor in the library section 779,0 .

It was my first time in that section of the library, and that somehow made it feel like an adventure. A search for something I didn’t even know yet.
The section is all about textiles, wowing, carpets and all subjects related to fabrics. That pleased me, and I would occasionally take out a book I found interesting.

But then as I was gliding my hands though the shelf, I found it: A soft velvet book, in the shade of deep marron red. “De fluwelen verleiding” by Hans ferrée.

My immediately impression of the book reminded me a lot of my previous choice. A5, slim and with an unfamiliar language on the cover.
But the more I looked the more it gained its own personality and charm.
It makes quite an impression: velvet make one think of value and the rich cursive letter speaks of abundance. It claims your attention – this book is far from modest.

The nature of the velvet welcomes you. It felt like it had been waiting there for me, begging to be touched. The color made it immediately important – royal.  Such a deep red color gives it a certain association with power, history, strong emotions, and even a touch of danger – a blood red warning. A glimpse of fobidden fruit.

The title “De fluwelen verleiding” is written in clear-white cursive and quite demanding, as the take on a certain space on the cover. The text quickly realized to be Dutch by Henk Groenendijk, and translated to: “The velvet seduction”. Amazing. Suddenly the book seems more erotic and sensual.

In the middle of the front there is an odd symbol: an interesting graphic mark in black and white. It is the only shiny part of the book, which only adds to the mystery. The pattern of the mark reminds me of a small carpet on a loom. A quite nostalgic feel.

The back is without words, as to say that red velvet is enough information, and the spine quite worn, the letters almost dissolved. Maybe from the tool of time, or maybe from greedy hands?

You could imagine such a book to be too much – distasteful and kitsch.
But for me it is quite the opposite. I see this book as a classic.

779,0 fer 1.

Grey Hypocrisy


Thursday, November 29, 2018

Continuing my Quest for the Dull. I did not find any books by the tagwords connected to my previous result: ’Boring’ or ‘Seductive’. Only the third and less subjective ‘Interior Architecture’ gave a match. Though, this match wasn’t the ‘right’ book for me, in the sense that it was maybe too mediocre, but its neighboring book did catch my eye. It looked kind of dull, but at the same time demanded an autonomous authority. Not so dull after all, and therefore forcing me to adapt the definition of my Quest. Perhaps it was the rather small size (15 x 15 cm.), or the textless spine. I realized how the blanco spine is actually quite a sensation in this library, considering that most books contain either a title, some text or other imagery on this part the book. At the same time did this book blend in well with the rest. Just like all other copies, it is plasticized, and then some: front, back, top, bottom – everything drenched in the monotonous clammy layer by the name of adhesive cellophane. A perfect recipe for blending in, at least in the world of books.

Even though this grey square of about 50 sheets of paper could be considered boring, there are a few elements that make this otherwise invisible copy stand out by its demand for adapted care-taking. For example, the thinness of the book made it impossible for the librarian to place the code sticker in its entirety on the spine, the rest of it had to be placed on the cover. I can imagine when doing this job, the irregularity of books like this is quite bothersome. A visual rupture in the repetitive rhythm of the surrounding stickers. Besides, because of this invisibility, it is harder for a person wanting to look up a book only by the code he/she was given by the library’s database. Maybe that’s why I was drawn to it, the code was missing, or at least not visible at first sight. Maybe that’s why this book has this size; it only wants to be noticed by people who don’t follow the code, but choose by its appearance only. A stubborn little fella, this “cDIM Valencia”. Hypocritical even. Its innocent appearance, yet sneaky way of asking for attention.

774.4 cat 17

Beige Seduction


Thursday, November 22, 2018

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

 

 


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