I think I remember the light of all the places I have been and when I review some memories, I always remember precisely the intensity, the tone... of the light of that moment. Over the years, I have accumulated a folder of random photos on my mobile, everyday things that caught my attention. After reviewing them, I found a common thread in all of them: The light. Lights, shadows, curious light effects, etc.
This project consisted of designing a publication with an experimental format around a concept, so I chose the “Light” concept. Throughout the book, rigorous texts on the nature of light alternate with random photos of my own, which I have accumulated over time. The images are not really directly related to the text, but sometimes a connection is suggested.
The editorial project consists of a 252-page book divided into 3 blocks with 3 page formats. The first block, in a horizontal format, deals with the physics of light (light travels in the form of a wave). The second block, on light and chemical energy (photosynthesis, photochemistry...), has a vertical page format (due to how light impacts from Sun to Earth). Finally, the third block has a perfect square format and deals with the concept of Enlightenment (religion, society...). These 3 blocks of pages sewn in the same binding, generate light sets themselves, since the pages are at different heights and acquire an almost architectural meaning. In the second block, in addition, 48 pages are devoted to making a kind of "flip-book", where in 24 frames an animation of a light effect is generated.
The layout of the text responds to the intention of simulating the effect of dappled light when sunlight passes between the trees and is projected on the ground. The effect was simulated by generating a continuous text stain, without paragraph separation, and using for this purpose the pilcrow, a disused typographic sign. In this way we were able to generate “holes” between the lines of text. I wanted the project to have a subtle, clear and bright finish. The body of text is large, as are the page numbers, the margins are generous, the captions in photos are the original names of the files, etc.
The publication is a hardcover book with very careful binding. Swiss binding, where the spine and the first page go without gluing. Spine with nerves and seen stitching. Hard cover lined in white laminated fabric with screen-print in black ink. Paste down endpapers printed as if they were a few more pages where the book already begins and ends. Printed in black and white on 130 g Fedrigoni Old Mill paper except the end pages, which show a color compilation of all photographs (contact sheet style) on couche paper. In addition, a few pages of block 3, present both the texts and photos inverted and the paper is black.
“Luz" is an editorial project developed in Editorial Experimentation Workshop class at EASD València. Project tutored by David Zanón.
