Production Narrative

by T. Shaw

VSW Press Founder and the artist are obvious resources for an accurate production narrative of this title.

Critical Analysis

by T. Shaw

Design Features

typographic: Straightforward typographical presentation tending towards mimicry or representation of Merriam-Webster's dictionary, if not copied directly through photographic means.

imagery: All imagery is of one figure printed on an elastic gelatin photoemulsion making it pliable. It is then stretched and manipulated. The flexible image forms are the only images througout the book.

graphical: As this is a visual linguistic study, the design incorporates visual evidence interspersed within blocks of text as direct figure examples. Dynamic notational systems such as underlining, encircling and graphing are also used throughout.

openings: More or less consistent throughout, with the exception of an Introduction, Conclusion, and the beginnings of sections, with image-interspersed texts on the left and larger illustrative image examples on the right-hand side.

turnings: The turnings vary from spread to spread in that there is more or less white space making up the margins, which keeps the reader's eye moving, as everything is centered vertically on the page.

development: This book's development follows loosely a scientific method wherein a hypothesis is stated in the introduction, numerous experiments and their results are presented, and ends with concluding statements.

sequence: The approach is analytical and evidentiary, so the sequence follows that imagery directly show proofs of thought in the text.

Critical Discussion

As an anatomy book, this work illustrates not the biological makeup of human form, but the language associated with moving bodies. Its aim is to chart human verb forms, recognizes chance operations and the occasional flawed procedure. The charts, or Image-Maps, themselves are like living organisms and presented as such.

Detailed Analysis

One of the many ways Gordon makes her evidence clear is through repetition. The image she manipulates remains the same--the dependent variable, in scientific terms. The stretching action she performs on the image, however, is the independent variable and studied repeatedly through hundreds of permutations.

The Anatomy of the Image Maps

Agents

Bonnie Gordon

type: initiating

role:
artist
author

nationality:
active: United States

dates:
publication: 1982-00-00

Visual Studies Workshop Press

type: initiating

role:
printer
publisher

New York Council on the Arts

type: other

role:
unknown Provided support through an individual projects grant

Publication Information

edition type: editioned

publisher: Visual Studies Workshop Press

place: Rochester, New York

dates:
production: 1982-00-00

Measurements

vertical: 10 inches closed

horizontal: 8 inches closed

Production Information

production means:
offset (local)

binding: smyth sewing (AAT)

substrate:
bookBlock: paper Mohawk Superfine

media:
ink (local)

Appearance

format: codex (AAT)

cover: Paper

color: no

Content

pagination: paginated 48 pages

numbered?: unnumbered

signed?: unsigned