A previous post published last week was dedicated to memorandom 0 (konomad editions), the first book by Japanese poet and photographer, artist and filmmaker, painter and illustrator Sayaka Maruyama.
Her book, as you may have read, is a visual archive and recollection of the works she has created over several years. One of the starting point behind the book was indeed the question "Is it possible to think without words?" as Maruyama tried to give more space to the images of her artworks rather than to words.
In that post we promised to write more about Maruyama as I had the privilege of interviewing the artist for memorandom 0, and to write also the Afterword for the book.
So to keep up with that promise, here's a mini post-book publication interview that also celebrates the fact that Maruyama will be back to Japan this week to work on more installations (you can see her latest works on her Instagram page). To discover more about Sayaka Maruyama's art and practice, grab a copy of memorandom 0, you can still buy it from Konomad Editions, Idea Books or Printed Matters Inc in New York or POST, On Sundays and Daikanyama T-Site Tsutaya in Tokyo.
Where did you launch the book?
Sayaka Maruyama: I did book launch at a Tokyo-based gallery, (PLACE) by method, in April. The launch was followed by an exhibition that went on for 3 weeks and that featured my drawings, paintings, photographs, collages and mixed media pieces, some of them also included in memorandum 0. The exhibition was a recreation of my random thoughts and fragmented idea that reflected the style and format of memorandom 0.
Who would you recommend your book to?
Sayaka Maruyama: I would recommend my book to all sorts of people, but in particular to artists and designers. I genuinely hope they will find it inspiring.
Did you have the chance to speak to any readers and get their feedback at your launch?
Sayaka Maruyama: I had some feedback from the people who came see my exhibition. They were impressed with the way I had arranged my work in the gallery space. Some people actually suggested to do a series of products with my artworks, like T-shirts or scarves. For the time being I did some experiments along this line and I think I will develop them more in future.
How do you feel now that your book is out?
Sayaka Maruyama: While I feel relieved that it is finally out, I think the book is not a point of arrival, but the beginning of something. I do feel indeed that I want to move onto the next one now. I like books as a medium because I can play with the size, the layout design and types of paper. For me making a book means conveying onto the page all my visual thoughts. At the moment I'm planning the next book that will be possibly entitled memorandom 1. I'd like to turn memorandom into a sort of life long project.
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