As a little kid, I had been one of the kids to always look forward to the Scholastic Book Fairs which had books, magazines, those invisible pens, the notorious chocolate calculators (famous for their fake chocolate smell which I was not a fan of) and those obnoxious (and a bit pointless) pointer poles. I know the reason I attended was due to being so intent on getting one of the detective’s invisible pens. This past week I had a similar excitement with a newly-discovered type of book fair. As this past week started to feel more autumn-y as more leaves fell, being in the city around the Chelsea area was specifically nice. Out of all the other weekends, I spent this one focused on going to this fair and helping a friend try thrifting. I instantly felt refueled and inspired just having these plans to look forward to. This may be due to the district of Chelsea being so full of colors and different experiences at every corner.
This weekend I specifically left Hoboken to experience Printed Matter’s Art Book Fair. It had been promoted through a club I recently attended, and after finding out tickets had been so affordable, I decided that I had to go. This mission was mainly to start my journey of intellectuality and for inspiration in general. I enjoyed going out to a fair in a more mature and educational setting. It felt rewarding. And as a whole, the fair had been one unlike any other I had been to. This may be due to the fact that absolutely everyone who attended seemed so cool and comfortable with being themselves. I could not quite figure out why, but everyone seemed to be their own complete character. The vendors also seemed to be just as interesting. The tables were all completed with collections of books on all different topics: activism, anime, coloring books, comic books, books about books, books about artists who make books, books about book fairs, books about projects, photography, and even politics.
A sectioned-off exhibition specifically caught my attention and the detail that was put into it being so interactive led me and my friend to put on glasses that made the whole thing become 3D. Looking at these books by a mix of different artists such as Allemane and Micheal Lorenzini. I figured this out after looking further into it all: the blue and red colorways had been placed in specific ways and the abstraction of the art on these pages had made the scenes move when the glasses were on. If not for looking into the exhibition further, I would not have noticed all the detail put into the setup… and probably wouldn’t have seen the interactive piece for what it was meant to be.
Next, I toured a few more tables before picking up a book that I was interested in reading further. The book I picked up was 26 texts by Gavin Wade & Friends. The book stood out in comparison to the rest of the books due to the title, the emphasis on using the text through its spine and repetitive statements that were: “steal this book, copy this book, take this book, change this book,” and finally “upcycle this book”. The layout of this book is unlike anything I have ever read as it is equally focused on the graphics as much as it is on its content. The book uses society to talk about all the ways art interacts with the world and how artists live in society. It brings up politics and economics as well and the connections between the three topics were enough to want me to buy the book.
All in all, the book had been just one of the few things that I excitedly brought back to my dorm. Another thing was prints that promoted organizations such as Fugitive Materials…a group of people who focus on the preservation of radical documents, posters, and histories; they worked towards this goal through their archives, publishing, and bookselling. I also picked up a few freebies such as decor pins at another table. In the end, I felt extremely content as my mission to be inspired was successful and in sync with my artistic side as it was the first book fair I’ve been to since the elementary school ones, and I am more than interested in going to their next pop ups.
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