In How to Make a Book with Steidl x Book Workshop, printer and publisher Gerhard Steidl — here in the role of curator — gives insight into his work making photography books. The exhibition provides detailed information about design issues, choosing the right paper, and printing and binding. It is a visual training course on the craft of bookmaking, offering unique insight into a special, traditional culture that is still analog.
Martin Parr tells about his new book. Gerhard Steidl packs suitcases. Ed Ruscha designs a lavish artist’s book. Günter Grass creates a new cover motif for The Tin Drum. Joel Sternfeld photographs with his smartphone. Karl Lagerfeld walks across the tarmac in Paris. Robert Adams rummages through his vintage prints. Jeff Wall gives a tour of his new studio. John Cohen gives a little concert on his banjo. Robert Frank finds a lost Polaroid … All of this is part of Steidl’s day-to-day work.
Thousands of books have been produced over the past decades at Düstere Strasse 4 in Göttingen. Many years often pass between the first conceptual idea for a book, the choice of images, copyediting texts, designing the layout, and printing. The exhibition gives insight into the artisanal process of making books and tells of materiality, sensuality, and the feel and smell of paper.
