Julien Duporte, Etropud's I.S.B.N., lendroit, lapressepuree & etropud, france 2013 [ed. 100]

I really know nothing about this book or its author, but I'm sympathetic to the book's theme of how we have been reduced to numbers. For the record here is what can be found at the International ISBN Agency website on the definition of an ISBN:

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. ISBNs were 10 digits in length up to the end of December 2006, but since 1 January 2007 they now always consist of 13 digits. ISBNs are calculated using a specific mathematical formula and include a check digit to validate the number.

Each ISBN consists of 5 elements with each section being separated by spaces or hyphens. Three of the five elements may be of varying length:

• Prefix element – currently this can only be either 978 or 979. It is always 3 digits in length
• Registration group element – this identifies the particular country, geographical region, or language area participating in the ISBN system. This element may be between 1 and 5 digits in length
• Registrant element - this identifies the particular publisher or imprint. This may be up to 7 digits in length

• Publication element – this identifies the particular edition and format of a specific title. This may be up to 6 digits in length
• Check digit – this is always the final single digit that mathematically validates the rest of the number. It is calculated using a Modulus 10 system with alternate weights of 1 and 3.

What is an ISBN used for?

An ISBN is essentially a product identifier used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other supply chain participants for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. The ISBN identifies the registrant as well as the specific title, edition and format.

Either way this is a fun little double-sided accordion with one side comprised of abstracted colors and the other the 13 numbers that form an ISBN.

Single page 3.5" (h) x 2 5/7" (w), 12 pages and fully extended at 2ft 8".

The back of the book and back of the label.

Ed Young, Mouse Match: A Chinese Folktale, Silver Whistle & Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997

A beautifully produced book that illustrates this Chinese fairytale about a mother and father mouse and their search to find the most suitable marriage candidate for their daughter, i won't spoil the ending, but this story is known as the 'Mouse Bride' story in China.

Ed Young illustrates this large book with his collages and cutouts, and while these are serviceable they create a dark and muddy kind of field, and the mouse figures seem to fight against this background. However, the struggle and the search that form the heart of this story are clearly communicated through this ambitious collage.

Single page 11" (h) x 8.5" (w), when open 18ft 5".

Alzbeta Zemanova, Untitled, Loop publishing, Prague, 2011

Another cool publication from Loop in this tight format and this one by another czech illustrator. This book takes 'a walk in the woods' as its theme, but the atmosphere Alzbeta creates is much more relaxed & innocent than Frantiska Lachmannova's treatment of the same theme (see next blog entry).

Double-sided and single page 4.5" (h) x 6" (h) and when fully opened 24.5" (2ft 1/2").

Frantiska Lachmannova, Untitled, Loop publishing, Prague, 2011

This accordion by this Czech illustrator would seem to be telling a dark little tale about a walk into the woods, but nicely done! Same publisher as the previous posting with all the accordions by Loop publishers, Prague.

Single page 4.5" (h) x 6" (w), when opened 24.5" (2ft 1/2").

8 Accordions, Loop & Umprum, Summer, 2017

I was in Prague for a week this summer and spent the whole time chasing down cool art places, bookstores and galleries, and with Prague's printmaking history in mind, I was also looking for accordion publications. It was during one of my last days in Prague that I stumbled into the gallery and funky bookstore Galerie Xaoxax (see photos of space below). Pleased to find such a cool place I started exploring this storefront store. Soon enough I noticed a whole table of accordions just sitting there, i couldn't believe my luck! From this great selection I'm presenting 8 of them here.  Talking with the woman in the gallery she said that they had been done for a class with a professor at the University and then taken to the Tabook, the yearly arts & literature festival in Tabor, Czech Republic, presumably for sale. They are all the same size and same paper but they are a smart set of accordions ranging allover the place in content and style, but neverthless a very exciting series of artists' books exploring the accordion format. Xaoxax's website doesn't seem to be up but they have a facebook presence.

Screen print, each page 5.5" (h) x 7" (w), double-sided, when open they are 28" (2ft 4") wide. 

The table of accordions, i was in bliss!

Tsai Hsin-Ying

 Zuzana Sagitariova

 

Katefina Kozakova

Jakub Bachorik

David Dolensky

Sofie Tobiasova

Nikola Logosova

Zuzana Bramborova

Dayanita Singh, Museum Bhavan, Steidl, 2017

This is a really fascinating book object that is made up of a collection of accordions published by this Indian photographer who was born in 1961. The original Museum Bhavan was comprised of a series of nine accordion-like wooden structures which held the black and white photographs that comprised each 'museum'. The present publication is another manifestation of that exhibition but miniaturized for the book medium and it includes 9 'museums', and an explanatory booklet, all of them presented in a handmade box from India. The museums range from Museum of Machines, Museum of Men, to the Little Ladies Museum and the Museum of Vitrines, with all of them presented as one-sided accordions with a varying number of black and white photographs related to each museum's theme. 

Museum Bhavan poses some interesting questions as it sits at the edge of the territory of the book, the archive, the museum and even the catalogue. Singh, however, wants the reader to arrange the books in an exhibition of their own making and of the book she notes "I think it's very difficult to describe the thread that holds the museums together, but I hope when you see them all, you can feel the thread." Furthermore, she notes "I know there's magic in images...I want to do everything to share that magic with you," and "This is not something I want you to look at once or twice. This is not a magazine. This is my archive." 
[BUILDING MUSEUM BHAVAN – Dayanita singh , Random thoughts on Photography, Art and being a soloist]

9 booklets with a page size of 5.5" (h) x 3.75" (w) with varying numbers of pages and a minimum extended length of 8ft. Also included is "Conversation Chambers" with texts prepared by Aveek Sen that includes interviews with the artist talking about her work and the themes she's exploring in her work.

Back of the book with list of museums inside