After the NY ABF, we invited a group of publishing friends to join us at Interference Archive in Brooklyn, New York, for a new edition of our project Holiday in the Archive. Please email us if you would like to receive mail from the archive!
Interference Archive contains many kinds of objects that are created as part of social movements by the participants themselves: posters, flyers, publications, zines, books, T-shirts and buttons, moving images, audio recordings, subject files, and other materials. The archive’s mission is to explore the relationship between cultural production and social movements.
Publishers who joined this Holiday in the Archive are: Other Forms (Alan Smart), The Nose (Eleanor Vonne Brown), Gloria Glitzer (Moritz Grünke, Franziska Brandt), Gold Rain (Oswaldo García), Issue Press (George Wietor), Gato Negro Ediciones (León Muñoz) and HumDrum Press (Wibke Bramesfeld, Amy Gowen).
We would like to thank Interference Archive for having us!
Friday 22 April, 19-21hrs Artist talk about backbonebooks by Claudia de la Torre and presentation of the results of the workshops. You’re invited!
Claudia de la Torre is PrintRoom’s new Publisher in Residence. In 2011 she founded Berlin-based backbonebooks. By publishing her own as well as work by other artists, she examines what a book can be – as collaborative process and in relation to other objects, spaces and concepts. Claudia will dig into our archive and create new work based on our collection.
20-21-22 April Publishing workshops with Claudia de la Torre. Expect to be making bookmarks too! Spots are available, upon application. Please send us an email when you are interested.
Ruja Press will present their new publication This Was A Project But We Have Forgotten What It Was (2022), published by PrintRoom, in which Ruohong Wu and José Quintanar of Ruja Press share their experiences with artist publishing. A book as an alternative catalog, an artist book on artist books and on drawing as a process. This weekend their exhibition 10 Years of Ruja Press is still on view at PrintRoom too! The collection will become part of PrintRoom’s growing archive of artist publishing.
In addition, Marc Nagtzaam will present his new publication Farben (2021) alongside previous work, followed by a conversation with the audience and Ruja Press about artist publishing, drawing, allies and friendship. You’re invited! We serve snacks and drinks.
Farben is an artist book which is the result of an experiment to introduce color in an oeuvre that consists for the most part of variations in black and white. The book is a compilation of various types of drawings; geometric compositions, borrowed from existing book covers, posters, and paintings, numerous line drawings based on erased ‘to-do-lists’, and ‘sketches of drawings’ by Marc Nagtzaam. As with its predecessor Zeichnungen he combined his material by printing it in different layers on a Riso duplicator at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht. The result is a careful composition of drawings that became a new work in itself. Printed in a limited edition of 200 copies, numbered and signed. Published by Roma Publications.
Ten years of making books as a public space by Ruja Press
PrintRoom presents 10 years of Ruja Press’ work, playfully researching and exposing their publishing practice and family with an exhibition, a public event and a book launch.
Ruohong Wu and José Quintanar, researchers, artists, architects and publishers at Ruja Press: “We perceive publishing as our artistic practice. We make books from a social and political conviction. But, above all, we make books to have fun”. Since 2013, the two artists have opted for publishing as a way to create social spaces and a poetic tool of communication. As they say: “We draw for our friends, and printing a drawing is the cheapest way to share a drawing with many others.” It’s how they started, in London – with a simple approach to make a community.
During Art Central Rotterdam XL – Gallery Weekend, PrintRoom welcomes Ruja and friends for the opening of the exhibition and a public event. The exhibition, with over 40 artist books by Ruja, explores the idea of “making books as a format for artistic practice” and aims to connect and expand the audience from a single space to other interventions in the public space. After the exhibition, PrintRoom and Ruja launch a publication about 10 years Ruja Press – which features, among others, the project Today is a Very Very Very Very Gummy Place (2021).
A ball has been shot by a man. A man carrying a flag. A flag that has been previously shot by another person. Another person of whom we only know the gesture of his leg at the moment of shooting. The drawing ends with an “etc”. There are two annotations, “This was a Project but” at the top of the drawing, “We have forgotten what it was”, at the bottom.
“This is a drawing made by Robert Filliou and George Brecht. We found ten years ago inside of their book “Games at the Cedilla, or the cedilla takes off” published by Something Else Press in 1967. This image has haunted us for all that time. The drawing seems to be the beginning of a game. The elements of the drawing are indicating the instructions for playing. It´s is like a word game, where each element conditions the next and so on. At the same time, the information received establishes that the game has a fun character. Don’t think too much, the more absurd the better, continue playing and have fun. The “etc” indicates that we could continue playing:
“A ball is shot by a man who is carrying a flag. A flag that has been shot by a woman. A woman who has an elephant hat. An elephant hat that has been shot by a man. A man who is wearing a very very very long wig. A very very very long wig that has been shot by a woman. A woman who has a huge fancy umbrella. A huge fancy umbrella that has been shot by a man. Etc…”
If we had to describe what is a book for us, we could not explain it better than this drawing. This is why now we had to redraw that drawing. It’s for a book about RUJA PRESS, 10 years making books. It will be published by PrintRoom and will be called, why not, “This is a project but we have forgotten what it was”.
Launch of Public Library Of – Zines on library controversies and library love. A project by Eva Olthof.
Friday 4 March 2022, 18:30hrs (doors open at 18hrs)
PrintRoom, Schietbaanstraat 17, Rotterdam
Public Library Of is a series of zines which zoom in on public library controversies in different parts of the world. For each of the zines one specifically invited guest sheds light on a local library issue. This first edition of 200 copies, comprises 5 contributions, which are set in Alice Springs (AU), Bandung (ID) and Rotterdam (NL) with detours to Amsterdam and Spijkenisse (NL), Chicago (US) and Inverness (UK). The zines, published and riso printed at PrintRoom, feature multiple texts, newspaper clippings, fieldwork pictures, a poem and drawings.
With presentations by Eva Olthof (visual artist) and Joke van der Zwaard (researcher and writer, co-initiator Leeszaal West) and video contributions by Frans Ari Prasetyo (researcher), Gabriel Curtin (artist, writer, editor) and Agent OH (artist, member of KUNCI). The program is subject to change. This evening is part of PrintRoom’s and Eva Olthof’s ongoing collaboration.
Since working on her long-term research project Public Library Of, Eva Olthof has had many encounters and inspiring conversations with people in different parts of the world that have the public library (and/or self-organised libraries) close to their heart. At the same time, they all observe the challenges which the institutions or users face firsthand: the closing of libraries, recurrent budget cuts, libraries used as instruments for city marketing lacking profound visions, opposition to self-organised initiatives, or – in times of a pandemic – libraries becoming places of exclusion instead of inclusion.
Eva Olthof is a visual artist based in Rotterdam (NL). In recent years her work has focused on public and self-organised libraries, examining how to make the public library a (more) democratic place by collectively re-thinking its current state through means of art, publishing, history and philosophy.
Joke van der Zwaard researches and writes about social issues in the city. She is co-initiator of Leeszaal West and Jeugdbieb West, both citizens libraries in Oude Westen Rotterdam (NL). All newspaper clippings in Public Library Of are part of Joke’s collection.Frans Ari Prasetyo is an External Research Associate at York University. He is based in Bandung (ID) and works on urban-ecology politics with various grassroots communities, underground collectives and representatives of the marginalised urban population.
Gabriel Curtin is an artist, writer and editor living and working in Alice Springs (AUS) on unceded Arrernte Country. His work is broadly concerned with poetry’s ability to locate and enact relations unencumbered by policy.
Agent OH is an artist based in Yogyakarta (ID) and a member of KUNCI study forum and collective.
1.5m SIDEWALK Calendar PICK-UP point Annual *research* VIBE CHECK* Ch0553L Mix-tape DJ set on PARTYBOX soundsystem Phone photo album SCROLL-A-THON YouTube cinema WATCH PARTY* Template EXTRAVAGANZA Unprofessional BIZNIZ GIFTS AND MORE!!!*
*c o m i n g s o o n 2 0 2 2
Cengiz Mengüç and Clara Balaguer present their 2022 Calendar of Leaked Research which contains residue from their ongoing investigation into vernacular design culture as it manifests on the streets of Rotterdam and as it links to other design cultures in the elsewhere. The corporate giveaway template (calendar) is considered a valid research surface.
Throughout 2021, Mengüç and Balaguer—under the temporary handle Your Company Name—have used casual of field work methodologies to amass qualitative data: long walks documented by smartphone, Whatsapp image dumps, take-away-fueled conversations logged on Etherpad, and chilling IRL and on Zoom.
For this afternoon, the facade and sidewalk of PrintRoom will be transformed to a Covid-friendly, outdoor window installation and take-away pick-up point. The calendars will be for sale alongside some (warm) drinks, snacks, and music blasted on a portable partybox.
We’ve riso printed December wrapping papers designed by the artists we’ve worked with in the past year – get your copy when you visit PrintRoom for a book-pick up!
You can also mail us if you wish to receive a Holiday in the Archive wrapping paper.
Eleanor Vonne BrownAram Han Sifuentes and Ishita DharapJosie Perry and Daphne SimonsEleanor Vonne BrownDesign by Aram Han Sifuentes and Ishita Dharap, Josie Perry and Daphne Simons, Eleanor Vonne Brown and PrintRoom team
We have gathered together to talk and eat lunch around a wooden table in the back of the shop. Runa and Jan from Boekie Woekie, Karin and Nadine from PrintRoom and Eleanor who is visiting from London.
Eleanor What would you say to someone thinking of opening an artist bookshop?
Jan We are riding the wave. Several reasons have led to amazing increase of the scene and opportunities for artists to avoid a potentially corrupt gallery system and go into something which has until now has kept its innocence. And this is penetrating into other circles. We are in great times and anyone who could possibly think of starting an artist bookshop – please do it now! I’m fully for it. It’s even feasible, it’s not even as totally ridiculous anymore as it was. (Laughs)
Conversation with Jan Voss, Rúna Thorkelsdóttir, Nadine, Karin de Jong, Eleanor Vonne Brown at Boekie Woekie on Sunday 12 December 2021 for PrintRoom’s ‘Holiday in the Archive’ project. Books and images we collected that day were used to make Riso printed wrapping paper at PrintRoom.
An intimate gathering with Alan Smart from Other Forms, Matt Plezier – Mono Rhetorik, Robert Hamelijnck and Nienke Terpsma from Fucking Good Art – who also interviewed Alan for WORM Radio. Friends and PrintRoom team members and some passers by joined us – we all listened to the interview.
The fourth issue of Counter-Signals invokes, in black and bright red, texts and images to query the claims and break the aesthetic chains of “visual identity,” within and against late capitalism. What is an identity and what can we do about it? Proletarian negativity, the IBM design manual, chop suey cheap wasp workers, rowdy crinolines, tranquilizing camouflage, misprint capital, José Carlos Mariátegui, queers at war, indonesian punks on hope, and much much more, or less.
Counter-Signals #4 includes contributions from Nathan Brown, Ulrike Jordan, Gerd Conradt, Lisa Vinebaum, Samo Tomšič, Bea Walker, Verónica Casado Hernández, Nat Pyper, Werker Collective, Evan Fusco, Michalis Pichler, Andrea Garcia Flores, Angel Gonzalez, Chris Lee, Mahmoud Keshavarz, Hannah Bruckmüller and Michal B. Ron, Jorge Cano, Anuar Portugal, Carlos Quiroz, Erin Madarieta, Alex Lahr, Sean Martin-Iverson, and Jacob Lindgren.
PrintRoom presents a second group of publications that were created by artists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the shock of the lockdowns slowly fading into the background it may seem we are getting ‘back to normal’, yet many of us still feel the after effects of the crisis on a daily basis, especially in the cultural sector. COVID-19 affected each of us in different ways. While many suffered from lack of income and isolation, some benefitted from an increase of time and a lack of distractions. For the first Pandemic Publishing event, PrintRoom presented two publications made by artists and writers in response to the pandemic. But there was so much to choose from, that one event was not enough! Pandemic Publishing II brings you another exciting and eclectic mix of publications to enjoy, and perhaps even help make sense of the strange times we are currently living through.
Pandemic Publishing II presents
~Magiun #2 with Alice Strete (editor), Simon Browne (design) and Yoana Buzova (contributor)
~ Pandemie Magazine #6 with Manouk van Egmond (contributor), Tobias Lengkeek, Goed Folk, Malyssa ten Hove, Rooz Boersma (editors) and Teuntje Fleur (editor and Riso chef at PrintRoom).
~ Quaranzine by Public Collectors (US)
~ Mail project: Quarantine in the Archive with Karolina Rupp, Kees van Leeuwen, Hannah Dawn Henderson, Eva Posas and the PrintRoom team
More information:
Magiun Magazine #2: On Adapting The second issue of Magiun is about how we can change our relationship with food; using it as a coping mechanism, a way of learning or a creative way of moving forward. Magiun is a magazine about everyday food, created during the pandemic when food played an increasingly important role in our lives. It publishes stories, poems, essays, recipes, photos and illustrations. Contributors to issue 2: Yoana Buzova, Dorothy Cheung, Patricia Cirtog, Valentina Vella, Raluca Chereji, Witold van Ratingen, Inge Hoonte co-published with PrintRoom, 2021
Pandemie Magazine #6: Gezonde Spanning Pandemie Magazine was set up in March 2020 by a group of friends in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each edition is a document of the time in which it appeared, and the ultimate medicine against boredom and hopelessness. It is filled with art, puzzles, stories, games and illustrations. The magazine is self published and printed on a Riso.Artists were invited to create work for Pandemie Magazine in response to the title of issue 6: Gezonde spanning (roughly translating as ‘Healthy Tension’).Editors: Teuntje Fleur (our Riso chef at PrintRoom), Tobias Lengkeek, Goed Folk, Malyssa ten Hove en Rooz Boersma. Contributors to issue 6: Sanne Boekel, Koen Taselaar, Sim Kaart, Nick Doejaaren, Conform Cox, Manouk van Egmond, Onno Blase, Anne Stalinski, Bianca Boer en Luuk Kuipers
QUARANZINE, by Public Collectors (US)A one-page zine published daily, starting on March 15, 2020 as a printed space for creative work produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Collectors is a project by Marc Fischer, a long time PrintRoom collaborator and member of Temporary Services. We co-published What Problems Can Artist Publishers Solve in 2018 when Temporary Services was Publisher in Residence at PrintRoom.
Quarantine in the Archive – PrintRoomFor this Pandemic edition of Holiday in the Archive, PrintRoom invited friends and colleagues to delve into our archive of artist publishing, exploring it through the lens of the pandemic. They drew on themes that have acquired a particular urgency during this time: Self-reliance, Health, Equality, Care, Isolation, Love, Community, Solidarity, Family. For Pandemic Publishing II, the selected publications and cards will be on display. Holiday in the Archive/Quarantine in the Archive is an ongoing project by PrintRoom that aims to activate and cross-pollinate the archives of like-minded institutions. Contributors to this edition: Karolina Rupp, Kees van Leeuwen, Hannah Dawn Henderson, Eva Posas and the PrintRoom team.
Please send us an email with your postal-address if you’d like to receive a printed surprise from our archive!
