The Photobook Club’s ‘Box of Books‘ will begin it’s 30,000 mile journey around the world on Tuesday night next week in Coventry. Following this the book will be sent to other branches of the Photobook Club based all over the world, each group just paying for the postage of the box to get to them.
I will produce a video on the Tuesday as I pack up the box detailing what is inside and it’s next few stops but if you want to know more then check out the following links:
The event will be held in Whitefriars pub, Coventry at 6.00pm and all are welcome to attend. As I am currently teaching the open class #picbod which deals with the photographic representation of the body, I shall also be inviting folk to bring along a book that ties to this theme, although we will focus on the books in the box.
Hope to see any that can make it on Tuesday night. If you require any more details, do send me a message.
In 2013 a box of photobooks will be traveling over 30,000 miles, stopping off at each of the Photobook Club branches around the world in order to promote discussion of the physical photobook.
Things will be moving quickly from here on so I thought it an idea to show where you can catch up on all the details before the full launch.
The Photobook Club Tokyo held it’s first meetup in the run up to Christmas and has already secured it’s second event which will take place on February 23rd. Below are all the details for the next event as well as some images from the inaugural meeting. Thanks to Yoshikatsu Fujii for both…
We will hold our 2nd meetup in Tokyo on February 23rd and will be discussing what creates a great photobook. I’m looking forward to getting to see many great Japanese photobooks and others!
Tokyo Photobook Meet-Up (#2) Saturday, February 23rd 2013 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
Here’s all you need to know to be there: (Pics to follow after meetup)
The Photobook Club aims to promote and enable discussion surrounding the photobook format online, and in person. The Photobook Club is founded by Matt Johnston in the U.K. and now a new branch will start in Auckland organized by Anita Totha. At our bimonthly meetings, we will share relevant information and continue the conversation about the world of photobooks and book making.
First meeting will be Wednesday, January 23rd from 7-830pm held at:
Beatnik Publishing 11 New North Road Eden Terrace Auckland 1021 New Zealand
Attendees are invited to bring a favorite photography book to show and discuss. All photography and photobook enthusiasts are welcome to attend!
So much for the radio silence but after seeing this I couldn’t resist an early Christmas present post. A new branch of the Photobook Club is born in the awesome city of Toledo in Spain! Thanks to Oscar Ciutat for all the info.
– Matt
The Photobook Club Toledo will have their inaugural meetup on 27th December, 2012. You can find all the information about this new branch below;
I’d like to join in, when is the next meeting and what do I do?
This is a free event, but due to the limited number of seats, registration is advisable. Please, send an email to photobookclubtoledo@gmail.com.
The next meeting will be at the NIVEL 426 Comic Book Store in Toledo, Calle Alfileritos, 15 – Bajo (in the historic center of the city) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, 27th December,
2012.
Where can I follow events and get involved? Facebook Twitter
The Gallery of Photography, Ireland is hosting their first Photobook Club event tomorrow night in Dublin. You can find all you need to know on the flyer below including details on the guest speaker, Patrick Hogan.
Those of you who remember (and those of you who do not), last year I mentioned I would not enter into the ‘best of’ bonanza before proceeding to do just that by selecting 5 photobooks that had stood out to me in the ‘B*@t of 2011’ post.
This year I shan’t try to hide the fact that I have made a list but it’s not the regular ‘Best of 2012’ style. I simply haven’t spent time with enough new books this year to be able to give any sort of top ten or top twenty. Instead I will list those that I have enjoyed/been entertained/confused and educated by over the course of 2012 in a few different categories.
NB: It seems a contractual obligation now to trash ones own list or at least belittle/justify it before proceeding with the ‘main event’. I would like to think I started this last year but know that is not true. What I do no to be true – people like to make lists, it is a nice way to step back and perhaps try to learn something from our viewing habits and the themes that are drawing us in. People also like to read lists, it is always interesting to see whose taste is similar or differs wildly and then try to catch some of those books we have missed.
It is also great to see this year that a lot of the books from last years ‘Best’ lists have had very good second editions, most are available again at reasonable prices which offers some hope for this years ‘top books’. I dont think there is anything in my list that is particularly hard to get hold of at the moment but if there is drop me an email and I will loan out the book for free. – Matt
Back to back:
I started by looking back at the books I chose last year. It is always pleasing to find out that the book you were gushing about 12 months ago is one that has continued to entertain and educate/frustrate over this past year. In this category fall two books from last years list:
Redhead Peckerwood made a lot of lists last year and I am sure The Present will make many this year, they certainly both make mine, but it took some time.
Redhead Peckerwood took time only in as much as the curse of the photobook list made it almost impossible to get hold of for a good price until the second edition came out, and by this time I felt I could do without. Seeing it at Paris Photo made me change my mind and it was first in the suitcase. Following it was a book I never thought I would buy (especially after the ‘film‘ debacle) – Paul Graham’s ‘The Present‘ which really must be seen to be believed, the internet does not do justice to this book and this work; subtle and sweet but with a serious undercurrent. I would not be so bold as to say it is a must-own but a must-see for sure.
Two projects here that have had the guidance of Paradox in the Netherlands and are both much bigger than the books mentioned here. ‘Poppy‘ and ‘The Last Days of Shishmaref‘ are books, but they are also exhibitions, online galleries, blogs and educational resources; true transmedia projects that you can, and should get totally lost in. I expect ‘Poppy‘ will find it’s way onto many lists but ‘The Last Days of Shishmaref‘ (2008) has more heart and good intent than you can ignore.
These books don’t try to change the world, nor do they seek to challenge our interpretations of the fluidity and omnipresence of a 2D world (or other such nonsense), instead they tell a small story, one that is engaging from start to finish and one that for a moment at least makes us think a little differently.
Used to be a bit of a bird nut as a kid so maybe that is where my interest comes from but it seems photographers have been turning their lenses on the winged of late too. Three books I have thoroughly enjoyed this year that focus on the bird; there are more, but I have not seen them. The three here are all a bit of fun, at least on one level, Paloma al Aire is just straight up fun from page to page – and it puts a smile on my face to see people take such enjoyment from this ‘hobby/lifestyle’. Bird Watching is a great book and depending on how much time you spend with the book it will give you different messages; personally I don’t like to think too much when I look through this one, I enjoy it as a bird watchers notebook, I just wish the description ‘tags’ were stuck in rather than printed on the page.
A craving for a less concrete life has continued to manifest itself in the books I have been drawn to this past year. You could consider the above category linked in here but the following sum it up a little neater I suppose. I was also drawn to the array of ‘hessian-like’ covers this year on books like Erik van der Weidje’s ‘Superquadra‘ and ‘Reading Ed Ruscha‘.
The book that garnered the most discussion at meetup that I ran this year was, without doubt John Gossage’s ‘The Pond‘. For those that had not seen the work before it tended to be a love or hate kinda relationship (with more siding for love) and produced much conversation on sequencing and pace of photobooks.
As I mentioned up top, this list doesn’t really constitute a best of, more a collection of books I found interesting for different reasons. The books below are on my desk and may have had a brief viewing but no more than that, they are included for the fact that they currently all excite me and i’m looking forward to exploring them more…
Great news for those of you in Bristol, UK as there will be a new set of meetups and workshops built around the photobook starting shortly. Building on the idea of the Photobook Club this new venture called ‘PBLabs’ not only looks to promote discussion of the physical book but also to support it’s community on the production of their own books.
Chuffed to see the idea expand and hope to get down to Bristol as soon as I can to see the event in person. If you are interested in attending the events you should head here for more information or to a Facebook event page for their inaugural meetup on the 22nd November.
– Matt
We would love to continue the idea of the Photobook Club Meetups as a space to share and discuss Photobooks but also as a space to develop photobooks through open editing sessions and workshops…that’s why we have created ‘PBLabs’.
This talk I gave at the Open Education conference in Vancouver (2012) tells the story of The Photobook Club in particular focusing on the importance of accessibility, discourse and experience. I hope you might enjoy it and share it.
Have just returned from a great week away in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. I was speaking at the Open Education Conference held by UBC about the Photobook Club, it’s origins and it’s meetups.
While I was there I ran a meetup over at Luz Gallery in Victoria and there were several meetups elsewhere also. Below is a quick roundup of these meetups and details on upcoming events.
The next session will take place on November 10th and will be featured in the books:
– The Complete Untitled Film Stills Cindy Sherman
– My Frontiers of João Miguel Baptista (guest artist)
(NOTE: The sessions are always the second Saturday of every month)
Photobook Club Victoria 15.10.12
As I mentioned the other day, I had perhaps the most picturesque journey to a meetup yet, leaving Tsawassen bay and heading out to Vancouver Island and down to Victoria. The meetup was still the highlight of the night with a great turnout and some great and varied books brought along. Thanks to Quinton and Diana for their hospitality at the fantastic Luz Gallery.
Photobook Pop-up exhibition/Photobook Club Southern California 18.10/12
Douglas Stockdale of the excellent ‘The Photobook‘ blog recently held a pop-up photobook exhibition and meetup at the Irvine Fine Art Center in the city of Irvine, California. Doug is a real photobook ambassador and deserves lots of props for this great event. He is also assesing the possibility of a regular Photobook Club in S California so if you are in the area, let Doug know you are interested.
Nice to see the Photobook Club badge being worn proudly too 🙂
Photobook Club Porto 20.10.12
The second meetup from the Photobook Club Porto took place this last week with a presentation from photographer Alfredo Cunha. Dates fro the 3rd session to be announced shortly…
Photobook Club Madrid 24.10/12
Blazing away in Spain, the folks at PBC Madrid will host their 9th meetup this month on the 24th October! For all the details and more photobook goodness, head over to their Facebook page.
Photobook Club Coimbra – LAUNCH! 10.11.12
The Photobook Club Coimbra will hold their first ever meetup on the 10th November at 9:30 pm, Casa das Caldeiras. The session will be run by photographer Mario Pires and will look at Robert Frank’s “The Americans”.