VV.AA. September 2021 To be continued, Thinking digital. How technologies (will) shape the art book, in collaboration with New York University Abu Dhabi, EduXion – Enhanced educational tools, EdiXion, Dubai.
The traditional form of the book conditions the digital book as well. The result of a long evolution of writing and printing systems, the book has always been considered the place for preserving knowledge. Printing should mark the milestone reached by scientific research or any textual work on that date. The format of a book is the result of current printing methods: conditioned by the size of printers and sheets, by folding and binding procedures, etc. Given that for the moment it is impossible to free ourselves from these technical constraints, books continue to be designed for printing, even in cases where the digital version is expected to accompany the printed one.
The proportions of art. When we speak of textual books or books in which images are accessory, this is not a problem, because the digital version, the eBook, then allows texts to be adapted to the format of the display system, also offering the possibility of choosing fonts and typefaces. But what happens in the case of art books, where images (which have fixed proportions) play a fundamental part? And what problems does the art book that is born to be only digital pose, and what prospects does it open? And even more so the enhanced digital book, conceived to accommodate multimedia content and to be dynamically updated over time?
Wearables will change everything. The digital revolution is still in progress. The rapid and continuous evolution of devices, after some experiments, is about to take the path of wearable devices, which will entail a total revision of display methods. Today we cannot predict what the impact of these new devices on content to be displayed will be, nor how artificial intelligence will change the way we read and interact with art books. But it is right to begin exploring different scenarios. As well as attempting to answer ethical questions, for example the author’s responsibility, underlying the possibility of continuous updates that the digital book allows.
At the dawn of digital graphic thinking. If the art book ceases to exist as a physical object, the time has come to begin thinking about a book designed to be only digital. Are we at the dawn of digital graphic thinking for art publishing? The reflections gathered in this book arise from the collaboration between Marina Pizziolo and Romano Ravasio, publishers of EdiXion, the artist Wim Delvoye and the academic team from New York University Abu Dhabi: the students of the Re-Design course led by professors Goffredo Puccetti and Nizar Habash, Professor of Computer Science, who transformed the project into a true experimental editorial laboratory. Thinking digital gathers the work of an international community that questions the subject, conceiving the book itself as an open platform, updatable and in continuous evolution. The answers that will follow in the years to come will be the echo of their questions.
Enhanced content of the book. Explore the multimedia materials embedded:
– p. 2: Thinking digital. How technologies (will) shape the art book
– p. 9: TOIA, conversing with digital avatars. The future of storytelling
