The New York Art Book Fair, which occurred over the weekend of November 5 – 7, was somewhat reminiscent of those book fairs from second grade except only the nerdy kids have consequently become the motley individuals (myself included) milling through the halls of MOMA PS1. Hundreds packed onto each of the building’s three floors, the former site of the first public school in Long Island City. Over 200 small presses, publishers, bookbinders, artists, and activists attended to sell, trade, or give away what they love most–their ideas made tangible.

Printed Matter, a non-profit supporter of “artwork for the page,” hosted the fair in celebration of the book in its traditional form, but also as a vessel that may take many forms. Robbin Ami Silverberg, local artist and papermaker, displayed some recent work that included a small collection of spools threaded with paper from her own Dobbin Mill in Brooklyn. Printed on each thread are a series of misogynistic remarks or proverbs that are then woven into a tangled lattice around wooden spools of varying sizes. Her artwork, which could be described as both delicate and conspicuous, is thoughtful in that it extends the metaphor beyond the domestic and feminine to suggest that the printed word can be overwhelmingly binding.

The Thing, a quarterly “object-based publication” that proves that pages are not always necessary, boasts such contributors as Miranda July, Jonathan Lethem, and James Franco (why?). For each new issue, The Thing asks a different writer, artist, or creative mind to thematically integrate both visual and written elements that often result in an artifact that interrupts everyday connotations with a charming nugget of perspective. Issue 10, a cutting board accompanied by an essay entitled “Crying Instructions” by Starlee Kine, was my favorite by far. The reader is urged to actually employ the issue as it is naturally intended, preferably while cooking and especially after a breakup. Kine suggests chopping onions. A close second to Kine’s work might be Miranda July’s window shade.

For the novice self-publisher, Full Tilt handed out information advertising affordable bookbinding classes of varying technique. I walked away with a How to Make Books book and a keener sense that the consumption of literature is not a solitary activity, but an ongoing act of exchange and participation.

by Ashley Tomeck
who lives and writes in New York City