Production Narrative

by J.Drucker

Todd Walker's production methods, as described in his colophon, were unique and somewhat arduous. He masked the photographs in his computer in order to create four-color separations (essentially "by hand" though he was doing this on-screen). Then he created collotypes (not your usual method) and printed these in sequence on the Vandercook, registering the four colors in the process. The effect is pointillistic, soft, luminous, and lovely, and shows the mediated aspect of the production in the usual effects. I know of no one else who has replicated these procedures, and thus these works are unique examples of an innovative method, as well as beautiful little books in their own right.

Critical Analysis

by J. Drucker

Design Features

typographic: A small, humanisistic face, not much bigger than 6 point.

imagery: Walker's photographs, many of women, nudes, or faces, have been manipulated in a digital environment so that they are mysterious and beautiful.

graphical: The layout is straightforward, with text on one side of each opening facing an image on the other. The granularity of the images matches that of the small type.

openings: Text and image.

turnings: Normal, just a sequence.

development: Some of the more extreme manipulations occur at the end of the book, and the sonnet sequence affirms his love.

sequence: The sonnets have been selected to craft a tale with romantic emphasis.

textual: Shakespeare's sonnets.

structure:

conceptual:

intratextual:

scultpural features:

temporal features:

other features:

Critical Discussion

Beautifully made and bound, this is an exquisite book. The images are classical, nudes and images of women, and embody a fascination with the early days of digital manipulation. Now banal, it was a thrilling experience to play with images at the pixel level, create broken curves, and artificial separations in order make photographic effects that really were unimaginable a decade earlier.

Detailed Analysis

General Comments

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18

title note: Eighteen by Shakespeare and Walker, the subtitle, refers to the eighteen sonnets and accompanying images. [J.Drucker]

Agents

Todd Walker

type: initiating

role:
photographer
printer
publisher
designer
typographer
binder
artist

nationality:
born: United States

dates:
birth: 25-09-1917
death: 13-09-1998

note: Eighteen sonnets by William Shakespeare juxtaposed with Todd Walker's photographs [Y. Kang]

William Shakespeare

type: other

role:
author

nationality:
born: Great Britain

dates:
birth: 00-04-1564
death: 23-04-1616

Todd Walker

type: initiating

role:
artist
binder
photographer
publisher
printer
designer
typographer

nationality:
born: United States

dates:
birth: 25-09-1917
death: 13-09-1998

Publication Information

edition type: unique

publisher: The Thumbprint Press

place: Tuscon, Arizona

dates:
production: 00-00-1992
publication: 00-00-1992

edition size: 120

note: []

Measurements

horizontal: 3.5 inches closed

vertical: 2.625 inches closed

depth: 0.5 inches closed

Production Information

production means:

binding: hand sewn (local)

substrate:
bookBlock: paper

media:
ink (local)

other materials:

Appearance

general description: A brown, small, hand-sized volume with a wide gray stripe vertically covering the front and back.

format: codex (AAT)

cover: The title, 18, engraved in the front. A wide gray strip running vertically over the dark brown of the front and back covers.

color: yes

devices:

enclosures:
item:

Content

pagination: unpaginated

numbered?: numbered

signed?: signed

Colophon

My monochrome photographs were masked with my computer and a TargaPlus board to make four-color separation negatives, then hand printed by collotype on my Vandercook 215 proofing press on Curtis rag paper. Of the 120 copies that survived This is number 39

Exhibition Information

exhibition history:

reception history:

Related Documents

General Comments

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