Date

2012

Edition Size

100

Media

Inkjet

Binding

Pamphlet

Format

Artist Book

Dimensions

13 × 9.5 in

$ 820.00

Unavailable


View Collectors

Amherst College

Stanford University

The University of Iowa (UI)

University of San Diego (USD)

University of Virginia (UVA)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Inkjet-printed with ultra-violet Firefly Ink, which is invisible in normal spectrum light but appears lush and ghostly under black light (ultra-violet light). The ink is now unavailable as the high price of production and the limited applications made it a dud on the marketplace.

Reed takes full advantage of the medium. The UV flashlight, instead of just being a technical accessory, becomes a prop in the theatrical experience of reading the book, as the viewer searches his way through a dark forest or explores abstract spaces.

2013 is almost out of print, with only 8 copies available in a custom archival box that holds the flashlight and the batteries separately.

“I enjoy the idea that when a viewer first encounters the book it appears to be blank. Indeed, this notion of the “invisible book,” was an important starting point for the work.  And in this, ingrained in the book itself, are two very concrete ways to experience the book: as a set of blank pages and then, with the help of an ultraviolet light source, a completely radical way of looking at pictures. My intention is to have this process lead a viewer to perceive the imagery less representationally and more sculpturally….

For me, this book is broadly about the future and the end or rebirth of time. The title, “2013,” came about because of the rapid pace of technology and culture. No longer do we have to look far into the future to perceive change, we witness it daily, to such an extent that even the idea of the year 2013 seems far away and distant. Beyond this though is also the concept that time is a construct. Again, this ties into perception, that in addition to the viewing experience, I want to reinforce the notion that time itself is just a way of perceiving reality. The iconography in the book: sculpture, form, nature, digital information, etc., is all mixed together so that a viewer encounters each on the same plane, and by the end of the book the number 2013 takes on the same qualities as one of the landscapes, the number has meaning.

One of my main goals with this book was also to facilitate a group experience. In my mind, most books are made to be enjoyed by oneself. However, with this book, it is my intention to make something that encourages people to share in the viewing experience…. I am fascinated by the idea that an object, a book, can be a reason for people to come together and share in something. In some ways, this is one of the most important components of the book.”

– Justin James Reed