Flametti, or the Dandyism of the Poor. Translated and Read by Catherine Schelbert
A small paperback, a vinyl record and an online audiobook form an eclectic ensemble that showcases this mix of media in a laid-back and charming fashion. The book contains an English translation of a novella by Hugo Ball (1886–1927) which first appeared ten years ago and has now been reissued with a new design. The designer and her co-editor also initiated an online audiobook with a reading by the translator featuring interspersed musical accompaniment. Extracts from the audiobook are included on the vinyl record, which comes in a conventionally square-format sleeve and is packaged along with the book in a transparent plastic envelope. The two formats are clearly mismatched, and there is also variation in the colours: although the book’s dust jacket, the record sleeve, the vinyl record and an accompanying square leaflet are all yellow/red and printed with the same serif font, four different shades of yellow are used. This can be interpreted as an ironic play on the incompatibility of the various media or as a reference to the four different materials – in any case, the contrasts between the objects are deliberately accentuated rather than recast into a supposed unified whole, as is often the case, for example, when CDs are included with books. The importance of the printed book is also deliberately and semi-ironically called into question via the QR code printed prominently on the front of the dust jacket that links to the audiobook. The result is a three-headed monster, the uniqueness of which makes it a collector’s item, but one that at the same time is very accessible.
