Production Narrative

by J.Drucker

The images almost look like they were produced from color xeroxes, or xeroxes processed into offset images. Possibly the candy was put on a copy camera and photographed. But the effect is that the images have a funky-crude quality of photographic realism combined with ink/color separations that a very printerly-painterly. Though the production values in this book are not high, they are imaginative, and the effect is seductive within the limited means of the work. The type looks to have been done with early photo-typesetting equipment, and it has the thick, undifferentiated strokes and clubbed serifs of that era. The binding is not fancy, but it is strong and serviceable, and the book's format allows the pages to open well enough because of the drape, even if they don't lie flat. The book's production says "artist's multiple" in every decision made.

Critical Analysis

by J.Drucker

Design Features

typographic: Phototypography, early generation, thick and clumsy, in three sizes of a variation of Century schoolbook most likely. The typographic registers divide the text into statement, comment, and story quite clearly and effectively.

imagery: Photographic images of candy processed through offset printing.

graphical: Page structure and layout are standard, with the typographic pages on the left, images on the right, of each opening.

openings: Regularly structured.

turnings: Without any particular effect except in the unfolding of the story/commentary.

development: The tale, such as it is, unfolds and reaches its end.

sequence: Little use of sequence occurs in this book.

textual: Glib games conflate candy, sex, and metaphors of body type and sensual orientation.

structure:

conceptual:

intratextual:

scultpural features:

temporal features:

other features:

Critical Discussion

This is a funny book, clever and nicely done, with a light hand and good sense of humor to guide its use of combined literal and metaphoric tones. The book is clearly within the democratic multiple realm, and has the look and feel of works done as inexpensively as possible, but with a commitment to imaginative vision and individual voice. The book has a bright quality, doesn't linger, is optimistic and ironic rather than dark. The cover type is that of the Sweet Shoppe variety, a display face that has a promotional quality that announces the comic tone of the interior. The text and treatment are consistent, and the tone holds throughout. A light, but entertaining work that feels utterly characteristic of the period of the late 1970s -- when feminist consciousness had allowed women's themes and issues into the foreground, but theoretical language had not yet closed down the possibilities of free play with popular culture materials for the fun of it.

Detailed Analysis

General Comments

[]

Sweet Junk

title note: [J.Drucker]

Agents

Gail Rubini

type: initiating

role:
artist
author

nationality:
citizenship: US

location:

note: []

Gail Rubini

type: initiating

role:
artist
author

nationality:
citizenship: US

location:

note: []

Publication Information

edition type: editioned

publisher: Chicago Books

dates:
publication: 00/00/1977

edition size: >Unclear, but in the 100s, most likely.

note: []

Measurements

horizontal: 7.5 inches closed

vertical: 5 inches closed

Production Information

production means:
offset (local)

binding: saddle stitching (AAT)

substrate:
bookBlock: paper

media:
ink (local)

other materials:

Appearance

general description:

format: codex (AAT)

cover: Ppaper, cover stock, wrapped

color: yes

devices: none

enclosures:
item:

Content

pagination: unpaginated

numbered?: unnumbered

signed?: unsigned

Colophon

Exhibition Information

exhibition history:

reception history:

Related Documents

General Comments

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