Marieke / Design Photobook

An attempt to make the unconscious physical

When I first learned that we had to design a photobook I was not that excited.
Not because I don't like photobooks but because I had a hard time to see how something physical like a photobook could be useful for my own practice.

Ironically, now I feel that the photobook I made in the end was the most meaningful project I made this semester.

So I came up with the idea for my photobook when I woke up at 5 AM and wrote in my phone: Printing on plastic all memories non-linear and intertwined.
In my self-directed research I have the potential research question: How can I use a method like infra-red which is a scientific objective method, to portray the unconscious?

Over the period of the first semester I build a collection of infrared images the ones that stood out the most for me were digitally shot with an infrared filter.
A selection of these images ended up in my photobook all printed on plastic overhead sheets.

I wanted to use plastic because by doing this all of the images will be exposed through eachother.
Similar to the idea of double exposure except that in this case all of the 22 pages are connected and translucent.

My aim was to design a photobook that could serve as a script and storyboard.
It was important for me to combine my photobook and self-directed research and this photobook is meant to be a starting point for my Eye film.

Connecting these images was a great way to reflect on my research and to see them from a different perspective.
The images are in a dialogue with eachother and related like memories that are connected.

The photobook is not finished and I don't want it to be finished yet.
Preferably the photobook will grow with the ideas for my film, I will for example add the title page when I have decided the title of the film.
I would also love to add new images and maybe text that could serve as a script.

Images merge together in the book and this already gave me an idea to play around with subtle double exposure in the film.

For now the book exists of images that are printed on plastic sheets bound by screws, so I can easily take the book apart and add new pages.
With the book it is necessary that a white paper is used in between the plastic pages since the translucency can make it difficult to see the (overlayed) images.

When someone else views the book I would like them to unscrew it and make their own combination of the images.
Maybe I chose for this design because I usually want the viewer to have a certain freedom in their perception.

It was quite difficult to photograph/film the photobook because of the reflection of the plastic and the documentation just didn't do the book justice. So I will add some images that are included in the book on this page.
But for the experience of the book you have to see it in it's physical form.

I quite like this idea of not being able to put my book on the web.
The book is fragile in it's form and now it is also a bit hidden like our memories and thoughts.