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Iconometer
is a serial book project that I began in 1995 and distribute primarily
through a subscription program. Comparable to both the genres of artists’
books and zines, this project documents my art, life and interests. The
following text provides an overview of the publication. Details of each
issue are listed on the images pages.
Numbers
A letter-size, 8.5" x 11" sheet was folded into quarters, stapled
into the cover and trimmed to produce an eight-page booklet. To accommodate
printing registration and document bleed, the final dimensions evolved
from 4.25" tall by 4" wide, to 4.125" tall by 4" wide.
Each cover featured the Iconometer masthead, printed by Xerox
on frosted Mylar. Until 1998, the year was printed on the back cover but
because of my production method, by which I produced additional copies
of an issue when necessary, the date did not always reflect the year of
the issue’s first release.
Edition sizes varied from open editions, in which more issues were Xeroxed
as needed, to editions limited by specific materials or production methods.
Limited editions ranged from 60-200 copies. Issues were initially sold
at a dollar per issue, with the price of the back issues determined
by the age and rarity of the book. Prices were
set to cover the production costs of the issues so that the project would
be self-funding.
Content
I began Iconometer as an outlet to explore my artistic ideas
and projects. The issues combined text and imagery from installation,
print and book projects and evolved to include travel narratives, personal
anecdotes, appropriated content and found objects. I used a wide range
of media for Iconometer, including: Xerox, letterpress, serigraphy, offset
lithography, ink jet, and spirit-master duplication (ditto). Issues have
contained found materials, folded paper, altered books, drawing and collage.
I have used both traditional and digital tools to produce the content
of Iconometer. Numbers one to eleven incorporated a rubber stamp element
that was either found or hand carved. Each copy was stamped with an issue
number and signed in pencil.
Exhibitions
I have mailed Iconometer to subscribers in Canada, the United States,
Australia and Turkey. Iconometer has been exhibited in Canada,
the US, and Great Britain, as well as being entered into several institutional
collections.
The recent exhibition of Iconometer at the Third Space Book Arts
Gallery presented all thirty-five issues of Iconometer, in addition
to ten 20x30” panels, printed by ink jet and mounted on foam core
board. These panels played with the themes and content of Iconometer
and were informally titled, How to Read a Book; Boxes; Make Offer; Portrait
of the Artist; Sistine Fists; 150 Thumbnails; Cells and Capillaries; The
Tower; The Heart and the Hand; Radiation.
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