The exhibition

Print on demand is a method of producing books which has revolutionised literary culture. Instead of printing texts “on spec”, they are only printed when there is a specific demand for them. The advent of cheap digital printing at the beginning of the millennium has made it economical to print even very small runs. These technological developments have not only had a fundamental impact on production and distribution processes for books, but have changed their contents, too. On the one hand, books on demand are decried as a loss of quality in terms of their content and physical materials, while on the other hand, they also facilitate participation and experimentation, opening up the post-digital book to new areas of application and thinking

With “The ugly duckling of publishing? Books on Demand”, the German Museum of Books and Writing is presenting the first-ever selection of artistic and experimental Books-on-demand projects. This temporary exhibition is based on holding the Library of Artistic Print on Demand, through which Andreas Bülhoff and Annette Gilbert have been exploring this phenomenon and its various artistic subcultures. The two curators of the exhibition have chosen a selection from their collection of over 300 items which engages with the impact and artistic exploration of this technology.

The diversity of the projects and prints is impressive, ranging from large-scale projects with over 7,400 volumes to tiny obscure conceptual print runs which have only produced single examples so far. It explores generative projects in which each book tells a unique story, and presents how printed books can serve as a cultural counterpart to the fleeting processes of digital cultures.

Print on demand not only overturns old value attributions and gatekeepers, it also creates new dependencies in the context of digital platforms and infrastructures that need to be reflected upon. The books in this exhibition engage with the book and its protagonists in a critical, experimental and exploratory way, demonstrating the relevance and timeliness of the medium, which must be constantly questioned.

The show includes works by:
Åbäke, Rafael Ahmed, Greg Allen, AND Publishing, Nanni Balestrini, Hester Barnard, Fred Benenson, James Bridle, Mimi Cabell, Felipe Cussen, Kris de Decker, Eric Doeringer, Karen ann Donnachie, Kavi Duvvoori, Jasper Otto Eisenecker, Angela Genusa, James Goggin, Jonathan Hanahan, Jason Huff, Pierre Jasmin, Jean Keller, LaPoD Press, Joyce S. Lee, Maria Lusitano, Michael Mandiberg, Holly Melgard, Christine Neuwirth, Teresa Paiva, Julian Palacz, Kathrin Passig, Frank Philippin, Vanessa Place, Publication Studio, Aaron A. Reed, paula roush, Rafaël Rozendaal, Joachim Schmid, Andy Simionato, Danny Snelson, Paul Soulellis, Stephanie Syjuco, Chris Sylvester, Kyndal Thomas, Undocumented Press, Thomas Walskaar, Barron Webster, Philipp Winterberg, Joey Yearous-Algozin, yigru zeltil und Hermann Zschiegner.

The "Library of Artistic Print on Demand" is a research project funded by the German Research Foundation (2019-2022). It was a collaboration between the Freie Universität Berlin, the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, and the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. A book about the exhibition is to be published by Spector Books in autumn 2023, and will be presented as part of this exhibition. A rich and varied programme of workshops and talks is planned to accompany the exhibition.