Fast, Furious, and Curious

At the LA Art Book Fair content can arrive in the most unconventional ways

Text by inform.design • Photos by inform.design

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Graphic design students on the morning of day 2 at the LA Art Book Fair/Book Machine event

Graphic design students on the morning of day 2 at the LA Art Book Fair/Book Machine event

By the end of Saturday’s LA Art Book Fair/Book Machine live design event, graphic design BFA and MFA students successfully tackled a heroic feat: design two books per day, with 3.5 hours per book, alongside an artist public participant. Designers and public participants were randomly matched, and many times the content was generated on the spot through a mix of unexpected ways, through lively conversation, eavesdropping on others’ conversations, diaries, internet searches, personal tumblr accounts, phone photography, selfies, file sharing, or all eight actions at once. After two full days of augmented visual, conversational, and aural stimulation, designers crowded in the CalArts Print Lab on the night of day 2 to bind 66 books in total. The bound books were made available to the participating artists in time for the final day of the LA Art Book Fair. Here are the book covers of the entire collection, with select interior spreads.

Special thanks to David Mayes at TypeCraft for printing all artists’ books, and to project co-ordinator and producer Eline Mul.

Lu Feng (MFA 1)

Lu Feng (MFA 1)

Brian Thompsen (BFA 4)

Brian Thompsen (BFA 4)

BFAs and MFAs prepare covers and interior pages for binding

BFAs and MFAs prepare covers and interior pages for binding

David Chathas (MFA 2) demos the binding machine

David Chathas (MFA 2) demos the binding machine

Towards an Architecture of Opposition, artist participant: Melissa J. Frost, designer: Angela Bac (BFA 4) & Christine Shen (BFA 4)

Towards an Architecture of Opposition, artist participant: Melissa J. Frost, designer: Angela Bac (BFA 4) & Christine Shen (BFA 4)

Virtual Stimulation, artist participant: Micah Hauser & Priscilla Frank, designer: Sara Biersteker (MFA 1)

Virtual Stimulation, artist participant: Micah Hauser & Priscilla Frank, designer: Sara Biersteker (MFA 1)

Earth…Never Heard of It…,David Chathas, artist participant: Meral Güler, designer: David Chathas (MFA 2)

Earth…Never Heard of It…,David Chathas, artist participant: Meral Güler, designer: David Chathas (MFA 2)

A Girl’s Room, artist participant: Gowri Chandra, designer: Iris Chung (MFA 1)

A Girl’s Room, artist participant: Gowri Chandra, designer: Iris Chung (MFA 1)

Personal Political Timeline, artist participant: Grace Hwang, designer: Cassandra Cisneros (MFA 2)

Personal Political Timeline, artist participant: Grace Hwang, designer: Cassandra Cisneros (MFA 2)

Goals-N-Holes, artist participant: Robbie Acklen, designer: Lu Feng (MFA 1)

Goals-N-Holes, artist participant: Robbie Acklen, designer: Lu Feng (MFA 1)

Thanks for the Mammaries, artist participant: Bettina Hubby, designer: Jacob Halpern (MFA 2)

Thanks for the Mammaries, artist participant: Bettina Hubby, designer: Jacob Halpern (MFA 2)

After the Shat in Shattering, artist participant: Christian Hite, designer: Karen Hong (BFA 3)

After the Shat in Shattering, artist participant: Christian Hite, designer: Karen Hong (BFA 3)

Question Book, artist participant: Justin Hunt, designer: Jessica Kao (MFA 2)

Question Book, artist participant: Justin Hunt, designer: Jessica Kao (MFA 2)

7 Gifs, artist participant: Russell Etchen, designer: Hayden Smith (MFA 2)

7 Gifs, artist participant: Russell Etchen, designer: Hayden Smith (MFA 2)

Joker’s Solitaire, artist participant: Z Behl, designer: Jenny Song (MFA 2)

Joker’s Solitaire, artist participant: Z Behl, designer: Jenny Song (MFA 2)

Traces Visuelles, artist participant: David Feldman, designer: Mallory Strong (BFA 4)

Traces Visuelles, artist participant: David Feldman, designer: Mallory Strong (BFA 4)

Wall Works, artist participant: Asuka Hisa, designer: Brian Thompsen (BFA 4)

Wall Works, artist participant: Asuka Hisa, designer: Brian Thompsen (BFA 4)

Explosive Land, artist participant: Ken Gunn Min, designer: Jessie Zo (BFA 4)

Explosive Land, artist participant: Ken Gunn Min, designer: Jessie Zo (BFA 4)

Christophe Boutin of Onestar Press and a fellow panelist highlight some of their favorite spreads in each book

Christophe Boutin of Onestar Press and a fellow panelist highlight some of their favorite spreads in each book