Sabor

This black-and-white exhibition catalogue about a Swiss robot from the 1930s uses very simple design tools to produce a fascinating, cinematic series of images. Nearly 200 pictures of varying sizes and formats, placed one to a page, show multiple versions of the robot – which remained an international sensation until well into the post-war period – in various situations from manufacture through to demonstrations in front of groups of people. They are interspersed with a few black pages showing series of film stills, and at the end is a text section containing an essay, picture captions and references. The consistent focus on the robot across the images confers a robotic movement to turning the pages, and the varying image placement and translucent paper add to the playful dynamic. The idea of an enigmatic cover design –full-bleed image on the front and text only on the back – featured in several of the books submitted this year. As the softcover extends slightly beyond the edges of the book block, heavy signs of wear will be practically inevitable. Yet the deliberate inaccuracy can be interpreted as an ironic nod to the sometimes less than precise assembly of the metal parts of the robot, whose head appears in close-up on the cover as he effectively personifies the book.

Editors
David Glanzmann, Lilia Glanzmann, Teufen (CH)

Design
Samuel Bänziger (Bänziger Hug), St. Gallen (CH)

Printing
Jelgavas tipogrāfija SIA, Jelgava, (LV)

Publisher
Zeughaus Teufen, Teufen (CH)

ISBN
978-3-033-10860-8