The photobook and publishing world is a vibrant orbit: bringing together designers, artists, photographers, collectors and curious minds from across countries and disciplines.What makes this scene so special is not only the books themselves, but the conversations, encounters and unexpected connections that grow around them.
Some of the most meaningful exchanges happen in these spaces. During the Photobook Club Frankfurt, art and photobook collector Oliver Burgold introduced SPROUT PUBLISH to the participants and has since supported our work beyond borders. We are grateful for his thoughtful engagement and delighted to share the review he has contributed:
Photo books have become an accepted and beloved art class in it‘s own. Artists and publishers have developed ways of presenting photographic work which ranges from classical layout to totally new expressions, bringing the book ever closer to being an art object. This development is mainly brought forward by smaller publishers which still take risks and are able to create very special and interesting forms of books. Something a collector always will recognize.
As the larger publishers stay true to their respective programs the margin for experimentation is somewhat limited, this is where independent book makers can strive in earnest. And what is more important, they can transform a mere book project into an immersive experience for the reader, strengthening the binding between artist and reader, drawing them into their world. And on this ocean of possibilities, younger publishers like SPROUT PUBLISH from Amsterdam can navigate their ways and master the waves of this difficult business.
“Independent book makers can transform a mere book project into an immersive experience.”
‘BREATHE IN BURN OUT’ by Dora Lionstone
I just recently came across one of their handmade books, which caught my attention instantly. Dora Lionstone‘s „BREATHE IN BURN OUT“ – a very intimate book about her inner self being challenged by a problematic birth and the subsequent difficulties of daily life. It‘s a serial work, containing 1000 self portraits, reworked from the same picture, scratched, rubbed, overpainted, changed with a fervour only the truly suffering soul can create. Inside the hand-cut cover is a poster of her and information about the situation at the time.
Now, one could argue that it is tedious to watch 1000 self portraits but not here though, because Dora Lionstone lets the reader look deep into her soul‘s inner sanctuary and this unabridged openness draws your total attention. And your empathy! At around the 400th picture, lines from Bob Dylan entered my mind because they somehow corresponded with this work: “And the only sound that‘s left, after ambulances go, is Cinderella, sweeping up on Desolation Row.”
At this moment you feel all the despair, the doubts and the pain.
‘BREATHE IN BURN OUT’ by Dora Lionstone
But the wonderful thing about the book is that it works like a catharsis, an exorcism, a therapy, a work which needed to be made to let the healing begin, a step into the redemption of life, which somehow leaves the reader hopeful, despite all the prior tribulations.
And this is when I felt Leonard Cohen entering the theatre. “Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that‘s how the light gets in.”
“It works like a catharsis, an exorcism, a therapy.”
A challenging but very rewarding book which could have been made only by an adventurous smaller publisher like SPROUT.
‘Variations’ by Sophia Xu
But this not the only example for outstanding books the publisher has to offer: Sophia Xu‘s „Variations“ offers us a glimpse into photographic abstractionism where a single photo undergoes transformations through different printing and scanning processes, leaving each copy of the book as an individual piece of art. This process is non narrative in nature but clearly shows which different paths photo books can travel, always opening new worlds to the reader.
This also true for Geertje Brandenburg‘s „Summerhouse“ which cleverly constructs a narration between the generations and the meaning of family through experienced decisions in modern-day book making like employing translucent pages, inserts and folds which totally complement the story line. Weaving words and pictures to construct a tapestry of personal history.
‘Summerhouse’ by Geertje Brandenburg
“Weaving words and pictures to construct a tapestry of personal history.”
SPROUT offers many more books with a cornucopia of themes which still can be explored by photo book enthusiasts, yet it seems clear that this publisher is really meaning business and will continue to offer exceptional quality in the future. Something I‘m really looking forward to.
Oliver Burgold
Oliver Burgold (born 1961, lives in Frankfurt) started collecting photo books 15 years ago when he realized that a book often represents a photographic project better than single pictures. He is especially interested in the fine line where books morph into objects and become sculptural and in the narrative development of a series of photographs where the final book becomes a piece of art in itself.
