Yo,
I made a trip to the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection + Archives in Chicago in an attempt to swim against the algorithmic monoculture we’re all drowning in—an effort in cultural de-flattening or anti-techno-fatalism.
In other words, I went to the library to look at shit that’s not on my phone. It was fun. Here are a few things I wanted to share with you.
I’ve published a magazine every year for 30 years. I think all great artists get fixated on solving a singular problem with the same set of tools for their entire lives—until they die frustrated, never having fully resolved it. So this title stuck out to me.
I didn’t read it—who has time for that?
I read so much about this book when it was released a few years ago, but I had never seen it in person. It’s really nice. Alec drives a Honda Odyssey (pictured left), which is questionable on many levels. The book comes with some random photos printed on Kodak paper, which I thought was kinda fun, artsy, and exorbitantly expensive. My thumb is in the frame on the right. I’m going to say it was intentional—a very clever meta-commentary on rephotography.
On the left is a fashion editorial with an interesting divide in the composition. I think I’d like to use this in the future. On the right is India Mahdavi’s Herbarium of Interiors.
I’m getting super interested in self-portrait zines. I liked this one by Viviane Sassen, though some might find it a bit too self-indulgent. I don’t agree. I don’t think “too self-indulgent” is a thing anymore.
I love gatefolds, newsprint posters, and ride-alongs. When I was a boy, I watched my grandfather carefully save a small trial bar of soap that came with his Sunday newspaper. He gave it a sniff, then used his pocket knife to cut a tab in the box, neatly resealing it.
In one way or another, my entire career has been spent trying to recreate this moment. I don’t know why some things impact us the way they do.
This book on rooms, cleverly titled ROOMS, was my favorite of the day.
Karl Lagerfeld made 5,000 copies of this book in 1997. He shot 50 pictures of nude celebrities. Maybe it was interesting in the ’90s. I think his work is really boring.
This little book on the private lives and homes of Russian women is fantastic.
Everything about this photo is amazing.
Here’s another artist’s book from the late ’90s that didn’t hold up too well. I hate spiral binding, and since I’m old enough to have lived through this photography style, it has yet to become cool again for me. Maybe I should stick to the algorithm.
I stopped watching TV about a year ago. It was a mistake. TV is great. I just started again. What did I miss? I binged the second season of Silo on a flight. It was frustrating and not worth it. Suggestions?
-Chris Force