Entry
The Paradox of Stillness exhibition catalogue
Submitter:
Emmet Byrne
Company:
Walker Art Center
Concept/Purpose of the Work:
Presenting works from the early 20th century to today, The Paradox of Stillness: Art, Object, and Performance examines the notion of stillness as both a performative and visual gesture, featuring practitioners who have constructed static or near-static experiments that hover somewhere between action and representation as they are experienced in the gallery space. The exhibition investigates performance from the perspective of the object rather than the body, examining how performance has reinterpreted traditional artistic mediums. In the other direction, it also looks at still images that somehow embody movement, transcending their own framing devices.
Our task was to create a catalogue that conveys the scholarship associated with the exhibition, visualizes the works in the show, and conceptually interprets the thesis into the form of a book. To embody this concept of pregnant stillness, we began with understanding the form of the book through the lens of time and pacing. The title page and section title pages were translated into long stretches of black pages, with one word per page, to allow the reader to slow down and reconsider their relationship with the book.
Another strategy was to suggest movement within still images. This was achieved on the front and back cover by choosing images of works that involve movement, and then blind-embossing the objects in the photos in different stages of movement. This gives the images a ghostly sense of possibilities, and encourages the viewer to dive more deeply into the photos. The covers are printed cloth, which allows the blind-embossing to have a very tactile effect.
The typography was designed to feel classic with a contemporary twist, since the thesis of the book examined archetypal concepts over multiple decades.
Results of the Work:
The catalogue was well received and has sold throughout the US and internationally.
How the Work Was Delivered to the Masses:
The catalogue was produced and published by the Walker Art Center, and distributed world wide by Artbook D.A.P.
Credits:
Graphic Designer: Alex DeArmond
Design Director: Emmet Byrne
Author: Vincenzo de Bellis
Design Studio Manager: Alanna Nissen
Senior Image Specialist: Greg Beckel
Editor: Karen Jacobson
Category:
Publication