"Maker and Destroyer of Books": A Discussion with Publication Studio

This Thursday, May 30th, marks the culmination of the Eyebeam/Publication Studio micro-residency with a panel entitled "Maker and Destroyer of Books" - a public discussion on the resilience and transformation of the book as technology and object in an expanded field of publishing. Publication Studio will discuss the history and philosophy of the studio with Eyebeam Program Director Roddy Schrock, Eyebeam Resident Kristin Lucas, writer and critic Brian Droitcour, and Rhizome Program Director Zoë Salditch. *** From May 16-23, Publication Studio engaged in a micro-residency in Eyebeam’s storefront bookstore. The week was used to develop new projects with Eyebeam artists-- including the launch of a book by Kristin Lucas-- host public events and discussions with Eyebeam fellows, present an exhibition on the work of the studio and its authors, and further explore the future of print and screen-based books. Publication Studio is a social publishing endeavor founded in Portland, Oregon in 2009. Their team prints and binds books on demand, creating original work with a variety of artists and writers. Publication Studio’s mission is to use any means possible to help writers and artists reach a public: physical books; a digital commons (where anyone can read and annotate books for free); eBooks; and unique social events with our writers and artists in many cities. Publication Studio attends to the social life of the book, and is a laboratory for publication in its fullest sense—not just the production of books, but the production of a public. This public, which is more than a market, is created through physical production, digital circulation, and social gathering. Together these construct a space of conversation, a public space, which beckons a public into being. Like Publication Studio, Eyebeam Art + Technology Center promotes the work of interdisciplinary creators, and facilitates engagement and dialogue with the public. Since its founding in 1997, Eyebeam's mission has been to champion dynamic and risk-taking work at the intersection of art and technology, and in doing so, address the cultural issues of our time. Eyebeam runs an active fellowship and exhibition program, a key component of which is its book store space, which invites collaboration and exploration. http://www.eyebeam.org/events/maker-and-destroyer-of-books-a-discussion-with-publication-studio