[ISEA2015] Artist Statement: Simon Groth – WILLOW PATTERNS: THE COMPLETE 24–HOUR BOOK

Artist Statement

Experimental book environment (2014)

In 2012, if:book Australia created a project that took a book from concept to print within a single twenty-four hour period. The book was written and edited using an online platform where every edit made to the text was captured and stored in a database. Willow Patterns documents the complete output from that database: authors and editors at work. In its online component, Willow Patterns creates an API and searchable interface to the data, making every version of every story accessible and open to remix and response. Its physical component is an export of the book’s complete database published in a lavish 28-volume hardcover with a continuous spine design. If the future of the book includes print as an aesthetic choice, then Willow Patterns highlights the possibility of printed books designed for purposes other than reading, borrowing from print’s powerful symbolism without devaluing the collected stories within.

  • Simon Groth is the director of if:book Australia, an organisation dedicated to exploring the changing nature of the relationship between writers and readers. In this role, he has created interactive live writing experiences and designed works that push technological boundaries while acknowledging the rich history of books and literature. Simon’s books include Concentrate and Off the Record: 25 Years of Music Street Press. He has edited two essay collections, Hand Made High Tech and The N00bz, and his short fiction has been published in Australia and the United States.

Text with images (PDF)  p.  159