INDUSTRY:
EXPERIENCE DESIGN
COURSE:
SENIOR CAPSTONE STUDIO
SEMESTER:
FALL 2024
EXPERIENCE:
BOOKBINDING
A Library of Substantially Red Books
about.
A Library of Substantially Red Books is an exploration of archive creation, transformation, and reinterpretation using structured yet arbitrary rules. Inspired by Kenneth Goldsmith’s UbuWeb and his discussions on permanence, copyright, and fair use, the project investigates how artifacts evolve through the act of preservation. By systematically altering books based on a unique selection criterion, their red appearance, this work redefines the concept of an archive, questioning whether it exists in the final artifact, the digital records, or the transformation process itself.
challenge.
Traditional archives aim to preserve artifacts in their original form, yet accessibility, copyright, and obsolescence challenge the very notion of permanence. Drawing from Goldsmith’s philosophy that artifacts often gain new meaning through resolution loss and reinterpretation, this project sought to reimagine books as dynamic, evolving objects rather than static entities. Through a six-step transformation process, books were methodically deconstructed, their words converted into numerical values, and ultimately reshaped into topographic landscapes and contour maps, a process that both preserved and obscured their original content.
result.
The final work materialized as a six-volume archive containing the translated transformations, yet the process itself became an essential part of the archive. Recognizing this, the project’s final display expanded beyond the books into a multifaceted installation, featuring vertical panels, horizontal tables, 3D-printed topographic models, and contour maps, all interconnected with the six volumes at the center. By incorporating physical, visual, and conceptual elements, the exhibit suggested that archives are never truly static, they evolve, shift, and reshape meaning over time, challenging traditional notions of preservation and permanence.
