THE ALTERNATIVE TO WHAT?
Thread Waxing Space and the ‘90s examines the alternative space and its cultural context, using ten years of programming as a platform for this inquiry.
Thread Waxing Space and the ‘90s examines the alternative space and its cultural context, using ten years of programming as a platform for this inquiry.
The publication addresses the changing limits of non-commercial, non-institutional space, and the period that Thread Waxing Space’s programming articulated: the ‘90s. An interest in periodization characterizes contemporary culture. However, the ‘90s have, until very recently, gone relatively uninvestigated in the field of art. Over twenty years in the making, this book contains a chronology of projects including documentation, images, and excerpts from noteworthy, previously published texts alongside new essays addressing the singular impact of Thread Waxing Space’s multidisciplinary approach and curatorial enterprise. These examine the dramatic changes that occurred during this decade, ranging from architectural trends to funding initiatives.
ORGANIZING INFORMATION
The content of the book is divided into four categories:
The programming timeline – All Thread Waxing Space exhibitions and events.
The general timeline – Summary blocks of major news, organized by Headlines, Art, DNA, Digital, Media, Cultural Wars, AIDS Wars, and Deaths.
The essays – Written specifically in support of the individual Thread Waxing Space years.
The artists’ pages – Year-specific commissioned works created within the Thread Waxing Space artist community.
The programming timeline – All Thread Waxing Space exhibitions and events.
The general timeline – Summary blocks of major news, organized by Headlines, Art, DNA, Digital, Media, Cultural Wars, AIDS Wars, and Deaths.
The essays – Written specifically in support of the individual Thread Waxing Space years.
The artists’ pages – Year-specific commissioned works created within the Thread Waxing Space artist community.
To present this complex information, we wove the four categories together. As a reference to the original thread-waxing factory that occupied the space, several “threads” intertwine and serve to carry both text and images. This idea is also expressed in the literal waxed, woven fabric cover. For the cover, we collaborated with the company Weft to create a custom-woven textile based on our digital typographic image in combination with a silkscreen printed title. Made of linen, the threads are heavily coated with beeswax.
THE BOOK DESIGN
By dividing the book into ten chapters (corresponding to the ten Thread Waxing Space years), plus front and back matter, we established a clear organizing structure. We took the programming timeline and ran it along the bottom of every page throughout the book. In coordination with this programming timeline, the essays and general timeline blocks fell into place. At times, these three strands of information align, complementing one another or providing additional insight.
We reversed the usual direction of the timeline, beginning in 2001 with the dramatic, society-transforming event, 9/11, and the final months of Thread Waxing Space. From that point on, each page moves backward in time, compiling the history of Thread Waxing Space back to 1990.
In addition, the artists’ pages function as full-bleed image dividers between the different chapters.
SPECIFICATIONS
The 368-page book, is printed in 4/c with spot satin varnish on the images using Fedrigoni Symbol Matt Plus 115 gsm paper. It has a cloth-bound softcover. The custom woven linen fabric is pasted on Fedrigoni Symbol Matt Plus 350 gsm, and is flexibound.
Size: 10.5 inches x 12 inches
Fonts: We used several fonts that reference the 90s. LoRes Oakland for the programming timeline, Regular MD for the general timeline, and Meta Pro for the essays and general text.
Size: 10.5 inches x 12 inches
Fonts: We used several fonts that reference the 90s. LoRes Oakland for the programming timeline, Regular MD for the general timeline, and Meta Pro for the essays and general text.
Published by Participant Press
ISBN-10: 0743292545
ISBN-10: 0743292545