AML
Damp Patches
April Gertler
30 pages
8.5″ x 11.5″
Softcover
ISBN 9791090359000
In October 2010 I was invited to Paris for an artist residency at l’entreprise culturelle. Out of that residency came DAMP PATCHES – which is a new collection of work I developed into an artist book that mixes my collage work with photography and drawing. The title of the book comes from the loose translation of a deodorant ad from the French fashion magazine Votre Beaute (1973): Prisonnière des taches d’humidité sous les bras. – A prisoner of damp patches.
I like working with collage because I enjoy using original source materials such as found photographs, fashion magazine ads, and bits and pieces that I find on the street or in the trash, and the hands-on experience of working with paper, glue, scissors and thread. It feels increasingly relevant to use a hands-on approach as many other parts of my life are being swallowed by the digital world.
I use collage as my primary medium because I feel it is the best way for me to combine images and explore various concepts that interest me the most, such as; the complex dynamics of intimate relationships, female empowerment, and the anonymity of urban life. I am dedicated to my original source materials which tend to restrict the final size of my work, but in that way they become more precious and intimate for the viewer, DAMP PATCHES has challenged my continuing understanding of what collage can become.
The idea of creating a book surrounding the project came together when I was speaking to my colleague and friend, Eduardo Serafim about DAMP PATCHES. Eduardo co-founded AML-Press in February 2011, and suggested that AML print the book with their newly acquired Risograph printer; a machine part Xerox copier, part offset press which has the quality of a silkscreen.
The Risograph machine was not initially intended for artist books or printed projects but rather for high volume commercial use. I loved the idea of using the Riso because the quality and texture of the images produced by the machine highly compliment the source material I use in my work which typically comes from the 1960’s – 1980’s.
The final book will marry the low-tech feel of the collage work with the high tech printing method of the Riso. As a result the collages and photographs will be the same size and the same texture as the original works. I am really enthusiastic about this part of the project because it helps me push my practice further by exploring my interest in all 3 mediums and takes them to a new level.
