Correspondence Art of Ray Johnson, (exhibition catalogue), Ernst Muzeum, Budapest, Hungary, 1997

A smart little bi-lingual catalogue for a guest curated show in 1997 by Artpool Archives at the Ernst Museum, Budapest, a couple of years after Ray Johnson's death in 1995. Artpool is a fascinating archive with a rich history of documenting alternative artists' projects since its founding in 1979 by György Galántai and Júlia Klaniczay. For more info: Artpool

Judy Pfaff, Esopus, #14, "Projects" issue, Spring 2010

These works were Judy Pfaff's contribution to this issue of Esopus which featured 12 artists' projects. Pfaff's two double-sided accordion fold pages/inserts have become detached from the magazine and here they've been arranged on each side of the front cover of issue #14. The original pages were constructed of 3" x 4.5" color photos taped together. Subjects vary from flowers, fancy ceilings to installation shots from one of her works. Each page 11 1/2" x 9", fully extended 30".

Ben Patterson, Methods & Processes, (1962) reprinted by Editions Insertain Sens/Chateaugiron, FRAC Bretagne, 2011

This is a reprint of a rather odd publication from 1962, in which Patterson sets up a variety of situations and issues instructions for the reader to perform. Its all pretty serious stuff until you get to, "cover shapely female with whipped cream lick...topping of chopped nuts and cherries optional." Those Fluxus boys sure knew how to put together a recipe. Single page 10 3/4" (h), x 7.5" (w), fully extended, 4' 4 1/2" (w) 

Derek Sullivan, Albatross Omnibus (exhibition catalogue), The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, 24 Sept. - 20 Nov., Toronto, Canada, 2011

Albatross Omnibus is a fascinating catalogue/artists' book for Derek Sullivan's 2011 exhibition at Toronto's, Power Plant. On one side of this 26 ft long double-sided accordion are reproductions of his artworks and images of the gallery's accordion shaped walls on which they were hung, and on the other side are the titles of the artists' books that Sullivan made for this exhibition. Situated somewhere between catalogue, artists' book & printed matter exhibition, this publication plays a number of games that comment on aspects of the book as well as the context of the exhibition — the original and its simulation, the spaces & shapes of display, texts and reading, context and framing, and the influence of historical antecedents. 

In the original exhibition the first room was dissected by an accordion shaped wall with works on both sides. In the second room 52 limited edition artists' books were hanging from the ceiling accompanied by stepladders available for viewers to have a closer 'reading' of the books. Over the course of 52 days Sullivan made each book available for sale in the gallery's bookshop for one day only, and unsold copies were withdrawn from sale at the end of the day. 

This publication comes in a slip case with a small brochure of texts by Gregory Burke, AA Bronson and Kathleen Ritter. Burke's and Ritter's writings are particularly useful in opening up Sullivan's rich vein of inquiry. There's also a very interesting interview with Sullivan, and a discussion of Albatross Omnibus, by Saelan Twerdy in C Magazine (Canada), #113, July, 2012. Individual page size: 9 1/4" x 6", 26ft fully extended.

Four Vacation Postcard Accordions

Four vacation postcard accordions, two featuring buildings in Istanbul, another from Lisbon and the other Salamanca, Spain. This genre of accordion publication probably qualifies as one of the most ubiquitous uses of the accordion format. The strip of memento pictures to take home, or even better tearing the perforation and sending one on its way. 

Japanese screen, 17th century, Chazen Museum, Madison, WI, USA

Scenes of Kyoto in Spring, Japanese 17th century, ink, color washes, gold leaf on paper over wood frame. John H. Van Vleck Endowment Fund purchase, 1995. Chazen Museum, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA. Size, circa 4' x 12'

Jungyeon Roh, Today is Sushi Day, screenprint, New York, 2008

I have only just discovered the work of this wonderful New York-based Korean artist and illustrator. Roh was awarded the Creative Quarterly Silver Medal for this humorous book that "...documents a trip taken by a group of female sushi masters to a rotating restaurant where they proceed to teach Americans how to properly eat sushi. Today Is Sushi Day doubles as a guide to the uninitiated sushi eater and a companion to Roh’s other books Buying Lenin, Good Fortune, and All About The Public Bath. Each book includes 2 postcards." [Printed Matter text]. Beautiful in both its craft and drawings, there's something really refreshing about this artists' book. Individual pages 12" (h) x 9.5" (w), extended 8' long. For further images of this book and the two other accordion books below, check out Roh's website: Yo! Jungyeon Roh 

Here's an interesting interview with her: CO-OP blog | Jungyeon Roh

All About the Public Bath, 2008

                                                                                Buying Lenin, 2009

Richard Klein (German, 1890-1967). King Ludwig III of Bavaria ("Bayernthaler") with color illustrations of Bavaria in the First World War and Presentation Box, 1916. Silvered bronze, chromolithographs, and carboard

  

This rather interesting commemorative accordion is made up of individual miniature prints linked together by a ribbon of backing material. The publication was given as part of a gift of coins by Dr. Andrew Laurie Stangel to the Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin. On the right end of the publication is a case for the folded accordion, and separately there is a cardboard box for storage. Approximately 6ft long, and 2" tall.

A.S. Guthrie, Broken Records: 1960-1969, Hong Kong, ed. 500, 2007

A quirky, humorous and smart publication that comes as a double-sided boxed accordion with reproductions of all the 10 45rpm vinyl recordings that form the subjects of this artists' book on one side, and writings about each record on the reverse. Guthrie includes 4 levels of texts for all these records: recording information, a summary of historical events for each year, musings about the record, its authors/singers and history, and a more general discursive section that reflects on the larger cultural moment of these pop records.  

Here's how Andrew Guthrie summarizes this project on the back of the box, "10 random 45s. The Lesser Knowns 1960-1969. Chart toppers and those that missed. An alternative take on the historical record. What's left over after you sweep-up. What you come across in record bins in obscure parts of any country after everything else has been purchased. A personal take on the 1960s, as exemplified by what one has at hand: ten 45s, one for each year of the 1960s chosen for the corner they occupied and now occupy in Pop history. American and British records of no specific style or character that nevertheless tells us something about a time and a place."

Andrew Guthrie is an artist, curator and a part time lecturer at the Hong Kong Art School and with this book he's produced a really fascinating hybrid publication that combines social/political history, personal reflection, and conjecture all spun together in a pomo remix. Priced at $13 this is a must buy for anyone interested in alternative histories of music, offbeat artists' books and aficionados of accordion publications! Individual pages 8.25" x 8.25", extended 6' 10.5"