Odd Volumes, Yale University Art Gallery (2014)

Odd Volumes
Yale University Art Gallery

My work entitled Pageturner from 1997 was included in a large exhibition of the collection of Allan Chasanoff who had a penchant for works that questioned what a book could be, how it might function and how the very idea of a book might be rethought. Pageturner includes a suitcase, a security camera, a microphone, a motor, multiple fans, a motion sensor, a video monitor, and a found book. The piece automatically and haphazardly turn the pages of a book which are then presented on a video screen. The work is a kind of absurdist speed reading tool.

Here’s the exhibition description:
Drawn from a major collection given to the Gallery by Allan Chasanoff, B.A. 1961, Odd Volumes showcases a selection of experimental and innovative works of book art from the 1960s to the present. This student-curated exhibition considers the transformation of books into sculptural objects from multiple perspectives: the history of book art, the relationship between form and content, and the interaction between the viewer and the work. Featuring approximately 100 works by more than 80 artists, including acclaimed figures such as Olafur Eliasson, Yoko Ono, and Dieter Roth, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to discover the world of book art. From November 7, 2014, through January 31, 2015, Artspace, a nonprofit arts organization in New Haven’s 9th Square, presents a companion exhibition, Connecticut (un) Bound, featuring additional works from Chasanoff’s collection as well as responses by local artists.