Unprinting the paper: Workshop with Jan Voss

Artist book workshop with Jan Voss.

A five-day course for MFA and BFA students on talking and thinking about making artist books, led by Jan Voss, one of the founders Europe’s longest lasting artist bookstore, Boekie Woekie.

Boekie Woekie, books by artists, began paying rent for a tiny space in downtown Amsterdam on January 1st, 1986. It was then seen by its 6 founders (artists from 3 countries living in Amsterdam) as a shop for their own publications. After the first 5 years and some reshuffling of the group and with 3 of the founders left, Boekie Woekie began its second phase in a quite much bigger shop space around the corner and with a renewed concept resulting from the gained experience: the new shop opened for publications by others. There are now about 7000 titles - almost exclusively self published or small press books. Those who run it – Henriëtte van Egten (Dutch), Rúna Thorkelsdóttir (Icelandic) and Jan Voss (German) have continued their personal artists’ careers and since years count the shop itself as a sculpture-in-progress they work on concertedly.

Jan Voss brings in decades of experience and expertise working with the book as a medium. Within the workshop, students will develop ideas and concepts for books, discussing how to plan a book, produce it and finally how to reach an audience. The result could be a simple limited edition stapled (mockup) booklet with a one page long description of what each participant in the course would like to do to further develop their book concepts.

The workshop will be preceded by the lecture “Unprinting the Paper” by Jan Voss, taking place in Kunstarken, Monday April 24th, 10.30 am.

https://boewoe.home.xs4all.nl/