Things They Do with Ashes and Sand, The Glass Collection of Ray Bär Salisbury
This very thin, hard book with a high-gloss aesthetic serves as the perfect showcase for a private collection of coloured glass objects. Luxuriously produced with a film-embossed title page and various papers, it presents 36 hyperrealistic photographs, each featuring one object or group of objects, mostly in front of mirrors. The staging is almost overdone, but it does justice to the glass art objects, with their sparkling and reflective surfaces. Much of the design work lies in the exceptional image editing and lithography. The pages have been cut in such a way that the start of a second large photo can be seen next to each one, making the collection appear as a continuum. This takes away something of the objects’ valuable uniqueness and invites comparisons. The page numbers also serve as picture numbers, their subtle placement helping to create the impression that the objects are standing next to each other on a large table, allowing viewers to look in any direction they wish. A didactic image index on the light-pink endpaper provides readers with a handy overview of the collection.
