Through its various panels, lectures and performances, Making Public and Publics: Art Publishing in Context will explore questions concerning capital, economical models, precarious labour in art and design publishing as well as focus on political publishing, and issues such as identity, decolonisation and queerness. The symposium and the book fair aim to highlight the privilege and power inherent in the act of making something public by gathering a variety of international publishers, bookshops and cultural workers.
Participating publishers: After 8 Books (FR), BAZAR Art Book Fair (IR), bruno (IT), Colorama (DE), EFA RBPMW Riso Room / Endless Editions (US), Girls Like Us (BE/NL), Hardworking Goodlooking (NL/PH/US), Knock! Knock! Books (EE), Knust Press (NL), Lodret Vandret (DK), MMS (SE), Onomatopee (NL), ;paranoia (EE), Paul Paper & Friends (LT), Rab-Rab Press (FI), Rollo Press (CH), Rooftop Press (FI), Stefanie Leinhos (DE), Sternberg Press (DE), Valiz (NL)
Making Public and Publics: Art Publishing in Context is curated by Sandra Nuut (EE) and Kristina Ketola Bore (NO).
FRIDAY, 7 JUNE
17.00–21.00
Opening of symposium and book fair, featuring all participating publishers, launch of the book “Published by Lugemik. Printed matter from 2010–2019” and performances by designer and artist Tatjana Stürmer (DE) together with graphic designer Ott Kagovere (EE), ;paranoia publishing group ltd. (EE), and independent curator and art worker Margit Säde (EE/CH).
SATURDAY, 8 JUNE
10.00–20.00
A curated programme of panel discussions, lectures, presentations and book presentations. The programme is in English.
10.00 Panel: PUBLISHING AND BOOKSHOPPING. Moderator: Benjamin Thorel (After 8 Books). Panellists: Andrea Cudolo and Giacomo Covacich (Bruno), Indrek Sirkel and Anu Vahtra (Lugemik)
In parallel with the development of independent publishers in art and theory, the last two decades have seen a new blossoming of bookshops eager to support such publishers, authors, artists, and to make their work available to specific scenes and communities. The role of these bookshops shouldn’t be overlooked, as they work at the intersection of the local and the global, and make it possible for books to be ‘transported’ and ‘translated’ to new readers, in new contexts, whether it is in Amsterdam, Oslo, Geneva, Los Angeles, Seoul, Paris, or Tallinn. Such bookshops are usually independent structures, run by small groups of people or individuals: they are paradoxical models for business, as they also intend to be intimate, dynamic, and stimulating social spaces. How do bookshops today participate in the making of publics? How do they continue the work of publishers, and make it possible for books to find, or even create, readers?
11.30 Presentation: Fifth edition of the magazine RAB-RAB: JOURNAL FOR POLITICAL AND FORMAL INQUIRIES IN ART. Sezgin Boynik (Rab-Rab Press)
Rab-Rab Press will present the fifth issue of Rab-Rab: Journal for Political and Formal Inquiries in Art, including contributions by Robert Linhart, Yehuda Safran, Anna Thew, Renee Green, Peter Gidal, Alejandro Pedregal, Chicago Surrealist Group, Joe Feinberg, Cana Bilir Meier, Jyrki Siukonen, Tevfik Rada, T-Bone Slim, and others.
12.00 Lecture: INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AND THE RISOGRAPH. Paul John (Endless Editions)
Beginning in 2015, the Riso Room at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop) has provided hundreds of artists and many institutions the resources to learn about Risograph printing. Since the inception of the Risograph Educational program, the Riso Room has directly impacted the formation of new publishing projects and Risograph Educational Programs in NYC, NY; San Francisco, CA; Bozeman, MT; Philadelphia, PA; Columbus, OH; Dubai, UAE; Seoul, KR; Paris, FR; London, UK; and many other individuals around the world.
14.00 Lecture: TRYING DEPERATELY TO FINISH (EACH OTHER’S SENTENCES). Hardworking Goodlooking
Hardworking Goodlooking is a publishing hauz and studio-less design studio founded in the Philippines and working out of Laguna, Rotterdam, Portland, and Brooklyn. Its four members are committed to exploring, documenting, and facilitating published works on (vernacular material) culture in the Philippines and its diaspora. Because these cultural workers live in four diametrically opposite time zones located—in three out of four cases—outside of their geographical field of inquiry, this creates a complex structure from which to sustain a situated research practice, a viable work flow, and a web of deep friendship. Hardworking Goodlooking will present a collectively written lecture that is an attempt to perform, through the insufficient act of delivering words, what it is like for us to work together while physically separated.
15.30 Panel: PRECARIOUS LABOUR, NETWORKS, ECONOMY. Moderator: Laura Toots. Panellists: Sarah van Binsbergen (Valiz), Airi Triisberg, Siim Preiman
The panel discusses labour in the field of art and design publishing. Keeping in mind the surrounding precarious working conditions the conversation focuses on the friendship economy together with the ways of being (and staying) kind, open and compassionate that lie in the heart of it. By bringing forth example models of non-capitalist and community economies the panel considers to what extent can we use the currency of love and affection.
17.30 Panel: FEMINIST PUBLISHING AND PUBLICATIONS. Moderator: Marge Monko. Panellists: Maryam Fanni and Matilda Flodmark (MMS), Sara Kaaman (MMS/Girls Like Us), Jessica Gysel (Girls Like Us), Liz Allan (Tender Center/AtCS)
The panel strives to discuss feminist perspectives and collectivity in the context of publishing, focusing on the practices of MMS collective and Girls Like Us magazine. MMS will present their new book „The Natural Enemies of Books: A messy history of women in printing and typography“ (Occasional Papers, 2019), a response to the 1937 publication „Bookmaking on the Distaff Side“, which brought together contributions by women printers, illustrators, authors, typographers, and typesetters, highlighting the print industry’s inequalities and proposing a takeover of the history of the book. Up to now, Girls Like Us has published 11 issues focusing on a variety of subjects, such as Economy, Future, Dance and Dancing, Family, Body et al. Currently they are working on their first non-magazine publication, a book on queer and feminist manifestos, edited by Liz Allan.
MAKING PUBLIC AND PUBLICS: ART PUBLISHING IN CONTEXT takes place as part of the programme of the exhibition Published by Lugemik. Printed matter from 2010–2019 at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design (ETDM), 17.05.–01.09.2019.
The event is supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Embassy of Sweden in Tallinn, Estonian Academy of Arts, AS JAPS
Thank you: Pärtel Eelmere, Jaan Evart, Misa Asanuma, Kersti Heile, Anna Kaarma, Laura Merendi, Gerda Nurk, Patrick Zavadskis, EKKM café, Martin Jõela, Paul Kuimet, Ott Kagovere, Louis Biasin, Lieven Lahaye