Prototype one
2019
Artist Book: Type set and letterpress printed on newsprint paper.
8.66 x 11.13 x .33 inches
A collaboration by four artists (judi goldberg, Brooke Holve, Eric Johnson, Tiana Krahn) who explored the concept of “title” during the making of Prototype One. The book was inspired by a poet who introduced a poem with two titles, then another with three and another without.
Like cut lines to newspaper illustrations, titles can confirm what’s seen—but also add knowledge, insight and a glimpse into the artist intention and mindset.
“Here beginneth”
Noun: 1. the name of a book, composition, or other artistic work. 2. a name that describes someone’s position or job. 3. the position of being the champion of a major sports competition. 4. a right or claim to the ownership of property or to a rank or throne. 5. (in church use) a fixed sphere of work and source on income as a condition or ordination.
Verb: 1. give a name to (a book, composition, or other work).
Origin: Old Englishtiful, reinforced by Old Frenchtitle, both from Latintitulus’ inscription, ‘title’. The word originally denoted a placard or inscription placed on an object, giving information about it, hence a descriptive heading in a book or other composition.
Historical Context:
The first manuscripts were not titled in the way of conventional books today. The first page read “Here beginneth” followed by naming the subject matter and the text. The first printers followed this traditional usage and did not use title pages.
Descriptions of early print shops portray printing presses alongside piles of unbound books. Blank pages were used to protect them from dirt and grime. As the number of piles increased printers needed a way to identify them and title pages evolved from this practical need to label.
Before the eighteenth century, most artwork did not have titles. Today if an artwork is untitled, we know that the artist who produced the work has chosen not to name it and implicitly prefers that the art speak for itself. And in fact, under modern circumstances of display, untitled, is a kind of title.
But back before the eighteenth century, the absence of a title reflected the artistic practice of the day and had more to do with reception of the viewers as they understood what they were seeing. With the rise of the art market, the growth of public exhibitions and when artwork started to travel, the viewers no longer shared a common culture and did not always recognize the subject of the artwork. The need for titles became salient.
During the Modern Art era, (in the 1850s through to the twentieth century), a time that represents an evolving set of ideas, artists sought new approaches to art making. Many explored the relationship of verbal language to the visual and some found titling as a way; concepts of titling artwork expanded.
Today titles often offer the viewer a key to the artist intention and expression. They can reveal another layer of meaning, a counterpoint to the work, and can offer a suggestion to the viewer in how to approach the artwork. While some artists want to convey meaning, others want to obfuscate or create irony.
