This book was made in the context of a group show with a series of performances called DESK, organised in 1990 in the Amsterdam artist-run space W139. Performances are always difficult to convey in pictures – a complication that designer Bas Oudt grasped as an opportunity to use different ink types to communicate the book’s contents. Rather than showing straightforward full-colour photographs of the performances, the images are printed in black ink on a silver field. This triggers associations of motion (silver is able to both highlight and obscure) and calls photo negatives to mind. Printed on thick cardboard, the plates are interspersed with super-thin paper bearing rich typographic impressions of what took place at the time. This subjective presentation, combined with the designer’s specific choice of inks and papers, results in a book that is as lively and surprising as an actual performance.
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