Simon Groth: Willow Patterns: The Complete 24–Hour Book

Title:

Willow Patterns: The Complete 24–Hour Book

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Creation Year:

2014

Medium:

Experimental book environment

Artist Statement:

In 2012, if:book Australia created a project that took a book from concept to print within a single twenty-four hour period. The book was written and edited using an online platform where every edit made to the text was captured and stored in a database. Willow Patterns documents the complete output from that database: authors and editors at work. In its online component, Willow Patterns creates an API and searchable interface to the data, making every version of every story accessible and open to remix and response. Its physical component is an export of the book’s complete database published in a lavish 28-volume hardcover with a continuous spine design. If the future of the book includes print as an aesthetic choice, then Willow Patterns highlights the possibility of printed books designed for purposes other than reading, borrowing from print’s powerful symbolism without devaluing the collected stories within.