(from a dummy of One Tree, published by Nazraeli Press in 2011)
On the occasion of the exhibition One Tree, opening on 20 september 2012 in Micamera, Milan:
The photographic bookdummy
workshop with Machiel Botman
21-22-23 September 2012
What is a bookdummy? The bookdummy is the playground for your ideas. What is it for? The object should first serve to teach yourself something. Then you can show it to others, and this will open up the big world. How do you make it? That is first of all between you and you. You have total freedom. The dummy should come to life without pressure. In the end, the dummy is the biggest gift you can give yourself: years later you will love this strange object, because you can see where it worked and where it did not.
This workshop will focus on how to make the many steps into a direction that is right for you. This is about an idea and its content, about editing, about the 'feeling' you want to give the book, about layout. And it is about how to make these dummies: with small fiberprints, or photocopied, or in the computer. What paper to use, how to bind it. We will look at many books and dummies that Machiel will bring.
You come with an open mind and bring anything you would like to include: this can be a small portfolio of a project you have already done and for sure you bring your mess: your unfinished works, small prints or writings or drawings, jpegs and, very important, your ideas. Please remember, even though you can show things on your laptops, it is much better to look at your stuff on the table.
By giving you the "possible-bookdummy-story" of each student, this workshop aims to give you a treasure of ideas to bring home.
