MANIFESTO FOR THE BOOK BY SARAH BODMAN. VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN COMICS! NICK SOUSANIS.

1. 'MANIFESTO FOR THE BOOK' BY SARAH BODMAN AND TOM SOWDEN

I contacted Sarah Bodman as she is a leading artist in artists books at UWE. She sent me some interesting links to book artists and LIBERATURE MOVEMENT what sparked further research on the subject. 

'Manifesto for the Book' it's an exciting catalogue of book artist from all over the world. 

It's available online on manifestopdf cover2 (uwe.ac.uk) [Accessed 12.12.20]

I was mainly interested in the chapter and interview with Radoslaw Nowakowski on book art in Poland and how the Liberature movement distances itself from artists books. (p.11-24)

'SIENKIEWICZA STREET IN KIELCE, Radoslaw Nowakowski.

17 x 31 cm (folded) 50 x 1050 cm (unfolded), language: English, Polish, Esperanto and others, 2002, deskjet printer, hardbound (brown / yellow linen) + plywood box, open edition.

In May 2003 Sienkiewicza Street in Kielce was published by BWA Art Gallery in Kielce in an edition of almost 500 copies.

In May 2005 this book won the 2nd Prize at the International Book Arts Fair Competition in Seoul.

“A man is walking along the street. It’s the main street in the town he does not know at all, where he has stopped accidentally and has to spend a few hours. He is not in a hurry, so he’s walking slowly looking around, listening, letting thoughts to flow across his head.' (page. 12)

2. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Yet, over the history of our culture, we celebrated word as superior to an image. Although, languages formed from pictographs and their different meanings in various parts of the world, it seems pictorial forms, admired and celebrated, were pushed as a secondary form of language. Nowhere is it more visible as in comics art and its turbulent history. Fighting for its right to be acknowledged as 'high art', comics are under constant manipulation and exploration in the creation of new forms of meaning-making. 

In the 21st century, it's no doubt, that comics and their many genres became an important tool in visual communication. Branching out into varied disciplines in schools curriculums, and higher education level (Nick Soussani''s "Unflattening"), it seems that comics art is finally gaining its desired reputation.

But why is it so important to understand visual messages? To be visually literate? Especially know, where images and text are at the constant tangle of intertwining ideas? 

In the visual communication theory of aesthetics, three fundamental properties crossing each other to create a meaningful relationship. An object, a viewer, and an artist are vital in the meaning-making process. They form a bond that is interdependent. 

"Thought structure" by Dennis Dake ("Handbook of Visual Communication Theory, 2005, p.42)

3. 'UNFLATTENING' BY NICK SOUSANIS

Bridging the gap between academia and comics, Sousani's work takes on a fantastical journey and exploration of possibilities to discover. 

His work brings comics to a place it hasn't been before. 

Possibilities are endless and exploration of this unappreciated art form will continue. 

I particularly enjoy the style of the illustrations and how the pages are designed.

'Unflattening' moves away from textual and verbal limitations of the language. To comprehend the possibilities around us we have to engage all our senses. 

Verbal, textual, and pictorial communication play all equal parts to understand the world around us. His work records time and space simultaneously. 

Seeing and reading happen at once, so it's our understanding. 

 An interview: Unflattening with Nick Sousanis - YouTube [Accessed 12.12.20].

Unflattening: Thinking Through Comics, Nick Sousanis at Microsoft Research – MIT Center for Civic Media