the third floor walls, more

topics so far —

1. revisiting 2D Design.
2. design as relational aesthetics.
3. fear. phobias.
4. books, our relationship with books.

On Monday, prompted by Adela's presentation about books and book covers, we discussed some ideas relating to books and our personal relationship with them. Favorite books, books that we perceive as being significant in our lives, or that in important ways mirror us to ourselves.

John described a project in his section of Forms and Cultures of the Book, and described in that course website here. In brief —

1. Curate a presentation of books (8 to 12) that have meant something to you, or animated you, or that you aspire to read, or that you wish had been written, or that you once owned but lost, or that you hated, or that you’ve borrowed and never returned, or, or, or.
2. Create a catalogue that lists and describes each of these books, shows a page from each, and discusses its importance to you.

John was more interested in our relationship with books, than in books themselves. He showed the pdf of his uncompleted version of that project (entitled Book Marks), and also discussed a related idea of inviting Montserrat faculty (and potentially others) to select eight-ten books, that would be exhibited in the library along with their owner/selectors' comments thereon, and involving an in-person presentation.

Special 24x24 inch book units, divided in four quadrants each 12x12 (or some other dimension), would be fixed to the wall. If three faculty, then three such units.

This led to a discussion of how we might ask instructors (or others?) to name those books that have meant the most to them, and do something with this. We'll return to this thread tomorrow (Wednesday).

Another theme was also proposed — fear, or phobias. Several seminarians had taken the Fear course last year. How might this theme be approached or handled, for us as designers? The idea of representations of specific fears/phobias comes immediately to mind; this would tend to cast the exercise as one of illustration. Yet the overall design of the exhibition, its idea, the curation itself, all are design.