In May 2010 the German non-profit art space D21 Kunstraum will host an exhibition of ArtZines – small artist publications that circulate in astounding varieties of forms and shapes, in print and online versions, at more or less regular intervals. These periodicals often refer to the DIY-approach of their predecessors, classic fanzines, which emerged from the ‘70s punk and underground music scene, mostly in the UK and the US.

The ArtZines show will shed light on an artistic medium that not only seems to have continuously gained visibility, popularity and presence in contemporary art institutions. It also addresses the ways in which its producers have adopted new channels of distribution, made possible by the Internet, that support interconnectedness and global coalescence.

In order to present a cross-section of publications that meet the outlined criteria, we have started a far-reaching and extensively communicated open call for zines, of which a selection will be shown in the D21 Kunstraum galleries. Focusing on issues of display and seminal exhibition design, students of the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, class of Systemdesign (Prof. Oliver Klimpel), will develop a design concept for the exhibition. Furthermore, we are working closely together with mzin, a Leipzig-based gallery and bookshop for graphics, art and pop.

A symposium within the framework of the show will bring a number of zine producers, distributers, collectors, curators and readers together. These participants will connect and discuss different facets of their work, outline historical dimensions as well as influential precursors, and the impact of technological advance and digital culture for a traditionally paper-based medium. In addition to that, two workshops will be held, one by the Leipzig-based publishers of spector cut+paste magazine, the second as part of a school project. Both workshops will each explore different practical approaches and techniques in the production of ArtZines.

Contact: Regine Ehleiter | ehleiter@d21-leipzig.de

(via Manystuff)

The new issue of London-based Kilimanjaro is out. This time, the poster-size publication is featuring works from beloved William Burroughs & Gregor Muir – among others.

First published in 2003, Kilimanjaro Magazine is an art and photography magazine produced independently from London. With its signature semiotic covers and innovative format, Kilimanjaro speaks to a global creative community; an ‘art thirsty’ target audience seemingly tired of beautiful but empty publications. With back-to-back creative talent, an evolving broadsheet format and cutting edge design Kilimanjaro has established itself as an art magazine offering a point of creative difference.

Buy it here

Integrated2009 is a biannual international design conference that will take place in deSingel Antwerp on Thursday 22 & Friday 23 October 2009.

Integrated2009 will focus on the crossover between contemporary graphic design, illustration, typo- graphy, new media, technology & art.

Can we talk about a new research attitude, or not?
And what does ‘design’ actually mean these days?

Up to 24 speakers from different countries are expected (award-winners and young participants side-by-side); the intention is to get some answers and to create a unique interaction of ideas, thoughts and expectations related to the immediate future. Integrated2009 welcomes students, teachers, designers, artists, clients, opinion-makers, and other cross-media addicts. Only 900 participants will be admitted!

(via Etapes)

French design studio M/M were in charge of designing this massive book on Kubrick’s unfilmed masterpiece Napoleon.

Tucked inside of a carved-out book, all the elements from Stanley Kubrick’s archives that readers need to imagine what his unmade film about the emperor might have been like, including a facsimile of the script. This collector’s edition is limited to 1,000 numbered copies.

For 40 years, Kubrick fans and film buffs have wondered about the director’s mysterious unmade film on Napoleon Bonaparte. Slated for production immediately following the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick’s “Napoleon” was to be at once a character study and a sweeping epic, replete with grandiose battle scenes featuring thousands of extras. To write his original screenplay, Kubrick embarked on two years of intensive research; with the help of dozens of assistants and an Oxford Napoleon specialist, he amassed an unparalleled trove of research and preproduction material, including approximately 15,000 location scouting photographs and 17,000 slides of Napoleonic imagery. No stone was left unturned in Kubrick’s nearly-obsessive quest to uncover every piece of information history had to offer about Napoleon. But alas, Kubrick’s movie was not destined to be: the film studios, first M.G.M. and then United Artists, decided such an undertaking was too risky at a time when historical epics were out of fashion.

TASCHEN’s sumptuous, limited-edition tribute to this unmade masterpiece makes Kubrick’s valiant work on “Napoleon” available to fans for the first time. Herein, readers can peruse a selection of Kubrick’s correspondence, various costume studies, location scouting photographs, research material, script drafts, and more, each category of material in its own book. Kubrick’s final draft is reproduced in facsimile while the other texts are tidily kenneled into one volume where they dare not interfere with the visual material. All of these books are tucked inside of—or shall we say hiding in?—a carved-out reproduction of a Napoleon history book.

The text book features the complete original treatment, essays examining the screenplay in historical and dramatic contexts, an essay by Jean Tulard on Napoleon in cinema, and a transcript of interviews Kubrick conducted with Oxford professor Felix Markham. The culmination of years of research and preparation, this unique publication offers readers a chance to experience the creative process of one of cinema’s greatest talents as well as a fascinating exploration of the enigmatic figure that was Napoleon Bonaparte.

*Includes exclusive access to searchable/downloadable online research database: Kubrick’s complete picture file of nearly 17,000 Napoleonic images*

Hardcover with 10 smaller books inserted, includes image database, 29.5 x 37.3 cm (11.6 x 14.7 in.), 2874 pages $ 700.00

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Black dog publishing have kindly offered Swiss Legacy readers 40% off all orders of Art & Text book until December 31st 2009!

Just email jess@blackdogonline.com quoting “Swiss Legacy offer” in the subject line.

About the book:

The use of written language has been one of the most defining developments in twentieth century visual art. Art and Text is a unique and timely survey of this most contemporary and relevant artistic tool.
The use of text can be seen in some of the most seminal, avantgarde artwork of the twentieth century: René Magritte used text as an instrument for Surrealist subversion when he inscribed his painting with the statement “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”, and Dadaist artists used it to describe anti-art and anti-aesthetic sentiments.
Some of the most famous Conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s began to use written language as an artwork in itself, abandoning the juxtaposition of images for the first time. Artists such as John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha, Martha Rosler and Joseph Kosuth—still some of the world’s most respected practitioners—helped codify the completely new boundaries of what constitutes art.
The expansive Art & Language group of artists and theorists also reconsidered the possibilities of linguistic art, and Art and Text features a new essay by esteemed member, Charles Harrison, alongside essays from Dave Beech and Will Hill.
Art and Text is a beautifully illustrated survey, documenting and contextualising the fascinating relationship between word and image for the first time, and showcasing the many artists who continue to use text and expand its possibilities, including Richard Prince, Raymond Pettibon, Mark Titchner, Roni Horn and Glenn Ligon.