Book Machine at Centre Pompidou
The idea of artists producing books isn’t that new or that special. Since the turn of the last century, modern and contemporary artists, lacking other – maybe more expensive, maybe more difficult or maybe less adequate – means, have delved with the production of books and printed matter. If we speak about Kurt Schwitters, Rodchenko, William Morris or even Dieter Roth, we aren’t surely discovering a brand new world, yet it somehow still appears to be an strangely unexplored and unfamiliar to many.
Hence, even if for those immersed head-to-toes in the world of books and independent publishing this might come as a bore, we feel obliged to speak about a new initiative that will take place at Centre Pompidou. Starting from the 20th of February, as a part of the fourth edition of “Un Nouveau festival”, Centre Pompidou will open a new platform for contemporary art publishing: Book Machine. The Book Machine was conceived as an event dedicated to book production in the largest sense. In essence, the commitment of the artist to the realization of their book or catalog is an extension of their body of work, and this results in the creation of what we call the artist’s book. The structure of the event will try to engage the public with the process of production of books, the ideas, theories and methods behind the production process through a series of conferences, events, lectures, discussions, screenings and performances organized and proposed by the publishing house Onestar Press.
Christophe Boutin and Mélanie Scarciglia, co-founders of Onestar Press and Three Star Books state: “At the heart of this engagement and from the depths of the Forum -1 at Centre Pompidou, there will be an atelier and office of book production open to the public, where visitors will witness a daily array of visual artists, writers and designers creating their books.” Besides the artists creating their books, the public will be offered the chance to actively engage in the production of books at the specially created “Book Machine Press”.
It seems that the Book Machine will be the perfect occasion to grasp a hint of that elusive and ever-evolving wondrous world printed paper and artist’s books.
Book Machine, Centre Pompidou, 20 February 2013 – 11 March 2013, from 11 to 21.
Rujana Rebernjak
