*little notebook I made for writing ideas for photos*
Why is that so? Here are some of my reasons:
In a world of everything becoming digital and when there are so many pieces of art existing only in virtual reality printed books seem to have bigger value than ever. Printed book is a tangible, real object you can hold in your hands, feel, touch, smell. You can experience it with all your senses.
Do you ever wonder, with technology developing and changing so fast what will happen to digital files of your photos or paintings in 50 years? How about your website or a blog? Film, if stored in right conditions can last over hundred years, what will happen with .jpegs in 100+ years? I shoot digital and I color my drawings digitally so final products of my work are digital files. I love all the possibilities digital art and internet provide but I still feel a need to convert (no pun intended ) my work into something of more lasting value such is printed book which can, if handled properly, last for decades. Now, you might say it’s not really important what happens with artworks or photos in future, all we have is now, but what is created today will be a cultural heritage left to future generations, it will provide them insight into our way of life and thinking.
It seems that today everything is being converted into digital medium and it’s being easily accessed through internet and need for possessing material, tangible prints, works of art, photographs or books is declining. Having access to a lot of information, art and knowledge instantly via www is great without a doubt but I still love owning and sharing something tangible, something you can experience directly, with all your senses , such as book, or a sculpture or a painting. Besides, digital files and virtual information are so easily manipulated, censored and can be erased instantly, and if you want to censor and destroy books you still need to burn them :)
My other reasons why I intend to self-publish photo-book are of purely personal nature. I feel much more inspired when working on a big, complex project (and putting together a book certainly is one) than just working on one image at the time. Being involved in something demanding makes me more focused and I like challenge of creating images that can stand on their own but also need to be a part of a bigger project. But why not just make a series of photos that can be, let’s say, exhibited in a gallery, why a book? Well, because I’m working on a series of self-portraits and portraits that tell personal, intimate stories and I believe that the best way to experience such images is through a medium of a book, a more intimate way than just looking at prints hanging in a gallery space.
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How about you? Do you value and enjoy printed books? And if you’re an artist what’s your favorite, ideal way of displaying/sharing your works to public?
I completely agree with you. Digital is great, but having a printed version in your hand is something truly unbelievable and I don’t think that will ever change… Ten years ago, people said that internet will make us stay at home and order everything from our sofa… And yes, that is correct, but it also made us crave more for social interaction. We have more RL friends and contacts then people before Internet, right? ;-))
Mislim da stvarno imas pravo kada kazes da je ljepše nešto opipati nego samo gledati… Da mi je barem znati kada sam zadnji put izradila neku fotografiju. Ideja sa knjigom je zaista pun pogodak.. Ja se baš mislim fotografije i uspomene prošle godine staviti u jedan album i na taj način sakupiti sijećanja!! Samo tako naprijed. P.S. Koristim tvoj blog kao inspiraciju pa sam evo prvi put u zivotu odlučila kraj sebe imati telicu i zapisivati svašta.. ;))
I love my laptop, I love the internet, but a book has to be printed for me. I don´t read e-book, and I probably never will ;0)
meni se sviđa tekica koju si napravila. ;)
Marina- yes, you’re right!
Nikolina- baš mi je drago :) Želim ti puno dobrih ideja! Da, puno ljudi više uopće ne izrađuje fotke, a uvijek je lijepo prolistati album!
Janine- yeah, I don’t like e-books either :)
Isidora- thanks, puno mi znaći kad to kaže darovita dizajnerica kao ti!
Despite spending a lot of time creating web resources and even dabbling in the technology of semantic web (web 3.0)/Linked data and of course endless image blogging, I like books:-) in fact, the house is groaning under the weight of them. Despite lots of bookshelves, they are all full so there are heaps of them all over the place on all surfaces, on the floor, some even stacked in cupboards. Even some of the drawers in the kitchen have books in them! Its just so easy to buy books, a couple of clicks on Amazon, the same on Abebooks for secondhand – not to mention visiting charity (thrift) shops and coming out with armfuls more. …and have you noticed how difficult it is to get rid of books??!!. So yes, there is still a place for print :-). Yes, OK, I think I need help lol!
Bob- yes there’s something magical about books and it can be quite addictive collecting them. I live in a small space so I have to keep my tendency to hoard them under control :) Yes, it’s almost impossible to get rid of them hehe but that’s not so bad, right?
Right? Yes, definitely! OK, I have a head start in acquiring but I too started out in a small flat, hmmm, now, I would say I’m in a…large library :-)