Skye Evans
11/8/15
Philip
Zimmermann Lecture Response
Philip
Zimmermann is an internationally recognized book artist born in Bangkok,
Thailand to diplomatic parents and he talked about all the interesting
countries he visited as a child and how they were a bit of an inspiration in
his work. Zimmermann gave an illustrious history of his childhood and how he
came to be disciplined in Fine Arts after deciding against being an architect.
Printing presses are romantic to Philip Zimmermann because of their smell, the
sound they make, and the craftsmanship involved in using them.
Zimmermann prefers
the preparation process to the printing and binding itself; he chooses not to
bind his own books. When an audience member asked what the hardest part was for
him, Zimmermann said that running the press would give him anxiety and he
didn’t like getting his hands dirty. He also said that making artist books is
difficult because of the little money that is made so he finds others to put up
the money. Zimmermann taught for 24 years and his favorite was the artist books
class and he advocated making dummy books to keep kids offline for as long as
possible. He taught all parts of printing preparation and pressing to his
students to get them ready for the real world and to have a better chance at
finding jobs.
I found his
lecture very interesting but I did not like that he read from a script for most
of the lecture without glancing at the audience. My initial impression was,
“This guy teaches? Does he know what his class looks like?” but the Q&A at
the end was much more engaging because Zimmermann spoke frankly and
unrehearsed. Zimmermann’s mention of Marshall McLuhan’s The Medium is the Massage as an inspiration grabbed my attention
because I never studied the work as book art, only digital media, and I made an
immediate connection. Zimmermann’s illustrations are really compelling and
thought provoking. Once he pulled out Sanctus
Sonorensis I made another connection because it is one of the books I knew.
My favorite work
that Zimmermann showed was Celsius 233.
The book is so smart in the way the reader sees the images of people burning
books and the flame flap in the middle reads the description of whatever is
opposite. The accompanying video showing the Third Reich in a blood-red filter
burning books was incredibly powerful. Zimmermann’s idea of rear projecting the
video on an entire wall with the book on a stand in the middle with
illumination is the perfect way to display the piece as a whole. I wish I could
see it in person. The book also comes with a blu-ray copy of the video. When
Zimmermann showed how he had to display the piece on a small television with
the book on a stand, my heart broke for him. That was an awful way to show Celsius 233 and I hope he can display it
the way he wants to in the future.
The lecture was
excellent as a whole and I was impressed that an artist of his caliber could
come to the University of Nevada, Reno and share his life’s work with everyone.
The only part that I did not like was the script but his life is fascinating
and the concepts behind his work are completely new to me. Philip Zimmermann is
a very humble artist who has worked anywhere and everywhere he could to hone
his craft. While he may not be the best writer, his work is truly inspiring and
is an experience in and of itself.
