“[T]here’s good reason to try to understand the political potential of publishing right now, especially when it can be used to loosen or push back against the grip of hegemonic power. Because while publishing can most certainly be a tool of the oppressor, the ability to circulate stories and information in public space is also one of the superpowers of the underserved.” – Paul Soulellis
We live so deeply in The Information Age that the term feels outdated. In these books, artists use information and the urgency of its availability as their very medium. Whether they are engaged in ‘Web-to-print’ work—presenting internet-based content in print form—or preserving threatened climate data and sharing essays on vital subjects, these works reflect the world-changing significance of the evolution of information technologies in our time.
Paul Soulellis
Thank You for Your Interest in this Subject
[New York, N.Y.]: Paul Soulellis, 2017
Soulellis’s zine juxtaposes versions of 22 webpages on whitehouse.gov as they transitioned from the Obama to the Trump Administration on January 20th, 2017. On subjects the artist chose such as civil rights, immigration, disabilities, women’s rights, and education, the versions on the lefthand pages highlight the outgoing president’s policies and accomplishments in those areas, while the righthand pages all feature the same empty “Thank you for your interest in this subject” message that replaced them.
Purchased using funds from the T. Henry and Penelope Clarke Library Fund in honor of Margaret Bland Clarke.
UNC Library Catalog: https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/catalog/UNCb9128006
Mishka Henner
Dutch Landscapes
[San Francisco, California]: Blurb, [2011]
Belgian artist Henner frequently works in a web-to-print vein, appropriating digital content from the internet to publish in print form. Dutch Landscapes collects abstract imagery the Dutch government has imposed over sensitive security sites on Google Maps. “The Dutch method of censorship is notable for its stylistic intervention compared to other countries; imposing bold, multi-coloured polygons over sites rather than the subtler and more standard techniques employed in other countries.”
Purchased using funds from the T. Henry and Penelope Clarke Library Fund in honor of Margaret Bland Clarke.
UNC Library Catalog: https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/catalog/UNCb7925701
Zachary Norman
Endangered Data
[United States]: EIC Press, 2017
Endangered Data is Norman’s response to the idea that datasets about climate change could be deleted or altered by antagonistic political actors. Norman uses a process called steganography to embed data in the pixels of his photos, which are of the areas where the data was collected. “The color shifts that occur in each book as the amount of methane in the atmosphere rises become increasingly suggestive of the catastrophic outcomes implied by the data.” (Quotation from the artist’s website.)
UNC Library Catalog: https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/catalog/UNCb9358797