Print Culture of Architecture

DOANYTHINGThePrintCultureOfArchitecture

Architectural PublishingOn Demand

Architect/ Designer/ Writer Editor/ Publisher/ Distributor

Architectureis lower and

slower than anyother field; weare the least

technological, butwe talk about it

the most.Mark Wigley

Today thereis such an

enormous needfor production

that occasionallywhat architecture

is best at maybe forgotten.

Bernard Tschumi

Architectureoffer many things;ideas, manifestoes,

jokes, gossips,frustrations,

drawings, attitude,enquiries, beauty,

agendas, knowledge,crap-tech, etc.

What happens when thedesigner/ architect

assumes the role of writer,editor, publisherand distributor?

Zak Kyes

1963 1964 1965 1966

1967

Publish on DemandIntegrating the production of

printed materials on generatingcontent, editing and design

of architectural ideasand such.

19691968

DIY Ethic = Self PublishingThe publishing of books,

micropublishing on-line worksand other media by the authors

rather than by established,third-party publishers.

1970

DIY Architecture PressThe book as a work

of art and skill rather than simply a vehicle

for imparting informationand communication.

1971 1972

Traditional Offset Print Machine Lightweight Press Machine

1973 1974

New modes of production;‘print-on-demand’ tools,

laser printers, digital offsets,In-Design, Adobe Acrobat, etc.bypass the division of work flow

to publishing system.

1975 1976

Productivity

AA Publication, London

1977 1978 1979

Architecture = Punk Rock

Bedford Press, London

Why Self-Publish?

Avoiding PublishingBureaucracies:

Author cannot get published by traditional publishers,author is unknown, topic is obscure, topic is

controversial, topic is only of interest to a small group ofpeople, writing, style, or genre rejected, etc.

AArchitecture, Students’ Self Publication

Full Control and ArtisticFreedom:

Author staying non-conform to editorial changes apublisher would make, complete control over booksoutcome, database, sales and customers, overall low

publishing cost, publish content independently, controlof total design and concept, etc.

Jong Arsitek, Collaborative Self Publication

CODA, Collaborative Self Publication

Total Design:Self-publishing allow books to be designed and

experimented within the total control of the self-publisher.

Is There Any Point inPrinted Publications?

Online Publishing and Blogs

Printed media hassome inherentadvantages -it is portable,

tactile…photographs

usually look verygood in print.

The web isgreat for news,

interactiveinformation, video,

but lacks thesophisticationof prints - its’

still early days.Peter Bilak

Pamphlet Architecture:Small books with BIG ideas

Pamphlet Architecture

The book is anold medium. And

it is an old mediumthat you can

innovate in. I don’tknow how many

times I saidthat I wanted to

make a bookpeople would read

and not just look at.Greg Lynn

www.hafizamirrol.blogspot.com