John Pfahl, Waterfall, Nazraeli Press, Tucson, 2000

accordion with slipcase

A really beautiful accordion of color panoramic photographs of waterfalls printed on a deep black background. The locations of all the waterfalls are noted with sites from New York, California, Hawaii and inbetween. Pfahl (1939-2020) has created the perfect match between his panoramic photographs and the expandable nature of the accordion format.

The publication is accompanied by a sheet with a text by Deborah Tall musing about all the different ways that we understand the idea and the thingness of waterfalls.

16 double-sided pages, individually 4.5" x 8.5", and when unfolded 11ft 4".

Camille Solyagua, Cirque des Fourmis (Cirus of Ants), Nazraeli Press, USA/Germany/UK 1999, ed. 1000

the accordion with its slipcase

It took me a little while to settle into this accordion along with questions such as: isn't this a children's book, or maybe it's an adult's book in disguise? But in the end none of that matters because when you look closely at the illustrations you enter into the ant circus and their world of entertainment and fun, and the outside world quickly slips away!

24 single-sided pages, individually 6.25" x 5.75" and when fully extended 11ft 6"

intermission

Doug + Mike Starn, To Find God Not The Devil's Insides, The Print Center, Philadelphia, 2007, ed. 2000

front cover

The following review of this work is from Aperture's Curated Book Collection and was posted on The Print Center's website [The Print Center]:

"This unique, accordion-folded volume co-published with the artists accompanies the Starns’ recent exhibition Black Pulse 2000-2007.  The process of photosynthesis—the energy of light chemically transforming into the life force—serves as a rich analogy for the Starns’ work, which has always concerned itself with materiality, re-generation and entropy.  With obvious reference to our own corporeality, the images in this series accentuate the arteries of the leaves, the bold and graphic traces of this essential life function.

The piece is striking in its construction: in scrolling dual lines atop each page, the Starns’ engage in a poetic, pseudoscientific dialogue about the ideas in the series. The pages are printed on both sides, with the images and text looping around from the last page back to the first, underscoring the flow and ongoing, cyclical nature of the material. Each double-page signature is joined meticulously by transparent tape, emphasizing the physicality and three dimensionality of the surface. An introduction by The Print Center’s Executive Director Elizabeth Spungen and essay by Martin Barnes, senior curator of photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, provide context for this work; it is included in a narrow, map-folded pamphlet inserted in a clear plastic flap on the interior of the volume." 

26 double-sided pages, individually 13" x 9.5", estimated length 20ft 7" [note: every third fold represents a break in the paper, and these pages have been joined together by tape which means they do not open fully like a natural fold, so total length is an estimate]

back cover

Richard Tuttle, I Thought I Was Going On A Trip But I Was Only Going Down Stairs, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto, 1997, ed. 500

front cover

An exhibition with a great title accompanied by a cool catalogue printed on a diaphanous see-through paper. The catalogue contains two levels of imagery with assorted mass media & images of ladders along the top, and the bottom series comprises the 10 works in the exhibit accompanied by more information about each piece on the inside of the back cover. The other texts in this catalogue are two letters, one from the curator Loretta Yarlow to Tuttle, and the other from a rather hesistant Tuttle, "The idea of writing a personal response to a letter which I know is going to be published leaves me virtually unable to respond...words are not my chosen medium of communication and it is extremely hard for me to write."

Although this is an accordion, it's like a small number in which the front and end pages are glued to the support, in other words you cannot pull it out and fully extend it. The photos below illustrate this kind of restricted use of the accordion format.

10 single-side pages, individually 8" x 6".

Yarlow's letter on left and Tuttles on right

back cover

Lynne Yun, Korean Folklore Creatures A-Z, Space Type, New York, 2023, ed. 100

front cover

Lynne Yun is a NYC-based type designer, educator and technologist and founder of Space Type, a studio practice operating at the intersection of type and technology. She also recently co-founded Type Electives, an online design school shaping the future of type. 

Of this ABC book of Korean Folkloric creatures she says: "The Korean Folklore Creatures A-Z zine showcases 26 mythical creatures that appear in Korean folklore with names that correspond to the Latin alphabet. Each page has a creature that is shaped like the alphabet, with their names and short descriptions below. The zine is risographed in four colors. The interior of the zine is printed on French Paper Smartwhite 100lb text, with cover stock being French Paper Speckletone True White 80lb cover."

For more info about Yun's activities: Lynne Yun Design

24 single-sided pages, individually 3" x 3", and when unfolded 

back cover

Shinro Ohtake, I Love Yu, Seigensha Art Publishing, Kyoto, Japan, 2010

front cover

Naoshima Bath “I♥︎湯"

This is an art facility created by artist Shinro Ohtake where visitors are actually able to take a bath. "I♥︎湯" was created to provide both a place for Naoshima residents to rejuvenate and as a venue for exchanges between Japanese and international visitors and locals to take place. The exterior and fittings of the bathhouse, from the bath itself to the pictures decorating the walls, the mosaics, and even the toilet fittings, all reflect the universe of the artist.

The bathhouse is operated by the Town-Naoshima Tourism Association.

Come visit and soak in the tub, and experience art with your entire body. 

Hours & Admission

                Hours: 1:00pm - 9:00pm

                 Closed: Mondays

*Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day.

*Closed temporarily for maintenance, as needed

                Admission:

JPY660

*15 and under: JPY310 (free for children 2 and under)\                                                   *Naoshima residents: JPY320

Naoshima Bath "I♥︎湯" | Art | Benesse Art Site Naoshima

40 double-sided pages, individually 4" x 2.75", and when fully open 9ft 2"

back cover