The digitization of the book-as-object has begun.
Brena Smith, local stalwart of the bound and printed page at the CalArts library, has begun work converting the fruits of Literary Citizenship: Tiny Press Practices, or “Tiny Litizens” as the course is known among its cultish adherents, into timeless/ethereal digital artifacts (not the kind you get for free with a bad DVD transfer, either). Included among the first batch of these is Destroy This Book, the ultra-limited-edition, self-destructive, self-censoring, bite-sized offering of beliefs I created last fall between many a papercut and singed nail. You can find images of Destroy This Book here, or together with the entire collection (in progress).
Other “books” digitized thus far include Brian Pickett’s Cardz, a collection of cards commemorating fake or obscure players across American sports history; Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle’s HELLO my name is: An investigation of naming within the Historical Present; and Gina Caciolo’s How To Ride a Bike in Pittsburgh (text by Robert Isenberg), the first in the Stamped Books series and sure to be a collectible item some day. If that doesn’t entice you, keep checking the collection; there ought to be more to come, both from this batch of Litizens and those on the horizon.
Totally lost? Try reading up on Destroy This Book and the Universal Beliefs Project here.
The Year Is Yesterday 