Photobook Colloquium in Lausanne

Lasting impressions, or fading impressions? The photobook today and tomorrow
February 20 – 21, 2010
An international colloquium organized by the Musée de l’Élysée, Lausanne, in collaboration with the ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne

Speakers include Nathalie Bocher-Lenoir, Luc Debraine, Mary Delmonico, Frédérique Destribats, Bernd Detsch, William A. Ewing, Lady Elena Foster, Philippe Garner, Jean Genoud, Winfried Heininger, Françoise Jaunin, Werner Jeker, Pierre Keller, Walter Keller, Michael Mack, Lesley Martin, Gilles Mora, Lars Müller, Thomas Neurath, Neil Palfreyman, Alice Rawsthorn, Markus Schaden, Joachim Schmid, Alec Soth, Gerhard Steidl, Joël Tettamanti.

New Books

Quick Response
Quick Response is a hands-on introduction into the realm of QR code applications and demonstrates a way in which two dimensional bar codes can be used to view images. People have to “read” this book by taking photos of each page using a cameraphone. The phone’s QR reader will then decode the abstract image to reveal that each image is an encoded URL for a photograph hosted on Flickr. The series of photos demonstrates the variety of modern commercial, artistic and subversive QR code applications. In addition, the book demonstrates a new way of appropriating other people’s photographs.
21×13 cm, 40 pages, softcover 6 €

Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Every Building on the Sunset Strip, Thirtyfour Parking Lots, Nine Swimming Pools, A Few Palm Trees, No Small Fires
Between 1963 and 1972, Edward Ruscha published fifteen artist’s books, his first being Twentysix Gasoline Stations; a book which is considered to be the first modern artist’s book, and has become the iconic precursor and a major influence on the emerging international artists’ books culture. Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Every Building on the Sunset Strip, Thirtyfour Parking Lots, Nine Swimming Pools, A Few Palm Trees, No Small Fires is a modern remake of some of Ruscha’s famous books, all grouped in one volume. Unlike the original books it relates to, this work was made entirely at my Berlin studio. I didn’t visit Los Angeles to make the book and I didn’t use a camera either. The camera is out there.
18×18 cm, 198 pages, softcover 30 €, hardcover 42 €

Conference in Oslo

Norwegian photographers’ association Forbundet Frie Fotografer organizes Flere sider fotografi, a series of talks about photography books in December 2009 and January 2010. International participants are Martin Parr, Markus Schaden, and Joachim Schmid talking on December 17th.

New Books

Joachim Schmid Is Martin Parr · Martin Parr Is Joachim Schmid

In September 2009 Martin Parr sent me his VIP pass to the Berlin Art Forum, that he had recently received. He thought nothing of this, as he was sending me something else anyway and knew full well, he  would be unable to attend. I saw this as an opportunity to visit the fair and take photos in the spirit of Martin Parr. I was to be Martin Parr for the 23rd September. For those that know anything about my work, this must be a surprise, as my career in the art world is based entirely on orchestrating other people’s photographs. 
I then invited Martin to be Joachim Schmid, and he decided to trawl through the “”Martin Parr, We Love You”” group on Flickr. This was established a few years ago as a forum for photographers who had been seemingly influenced by his photographic language. So in the spirit of Joachim Schmid, Martin looked for the most “ “Parr-like”” images. He then wrote to all the selected photographers and invited them to participate in this project, in exchange for a copy of the book. The resulting two sets of images are what you will find on the pages of Joachim Schmid is Martin Parr · Martin Parr is Joachim Schmid. 
18×18 cm, 40 pages, softcover 16 €, hardcover 24 €

Bilder von der Straße, Band II

The project Pictures from the Street has been an ongoing endeavour since 1982 and has seen me reclaim over 900 lost or abandoned photographs. The collection has been exhibited widely but only once in its entirety and this is the first time it is printed as a complete set, published within four volumes. Volume Two is now available for purchase. Volumes Three and Four will follow next year.
25×20 cm, 240 pages, softcover 60 €, hardcover 72 €

As requested by interested parties, the white books are now also available as rather affordable softcover editions.

Other People’s Photographs

There are five new books in the grey series: Coffee, Documents, Encounters, Objects in Mirror, and Shadow.
18×18 cm, 36 pages, hardcover, 36 € each (numbered and signed)

Exhibition in London

In association with the UK homeless charity Shelter, KesselsKramer are hosting a Christmas exhibition, Just What I Never Wanted throughout December. They asked a range of prestigious names in art, fashion, design, literature and music to donate a gift they have received in the past which was just what they never wanted yet which stills conjures some emotion.

An exhibition presents the weird and wonderful items that are all singed by the donators and accompanied with a story explaining where they came from. These items will be sold to raise money for homeless people at Christmas with all proceeds going to Shelter.

KK Outlet, 42 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB
December 3–23, 2009
Private view on Thursday, December 3, 7–9pm, auction starts at 8pm