CODEX CODE X CODEX : CODE X A Palimpsest Reading of the Book as a Material Object in a New Media Age P E N E L O P E L E E A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design (Honours) April 2005 School of Design Studies College of Fine Arts University of New South Wales i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. Signed To my parents, Patsy and Tony Robinson, my husband John and my children Ben and Cinnamon, who all helped to make this chapter in my life possible ii A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S This thesis was greatly inspired and guided by the generosity, encouragement and support of my supervisor Leong Chan and the magnanimous literary acumen of my Co- Supervisor Carol Longbottom. My gratitude also goes to Allan Walpole for his erudite insight and advice, Joan Blumenberg for her gracious assistance, and the COFA librarians, particularly Margaret Blackmore, Barbara Daley, Jane Knowles and Judy Haywood whose amiable service eased many hours of library research and the management of new media technologies. I would also like to express my appreciation to the COFA Research Grant Committee for the award of a COFA Student Support Grant, enabling extensive studio investigations through attendance at a series of workshops in papermaking, printmaking, and bookbinding techniques, materials and processes. My sincere commendation goes to the tutors of workshops attended in these investigations: papermakers, Katherine Nix: printmakers, Anne Starling and Bernhardine Mueller and bookbinders, Sabine Pierard, Marianne Little and Liz Jeneid. My special thanks go to Julie Bartholemew for her assistance in the development of ‘porcelain pages.’ Furthermore, the writing of this thesis was greatly enriched by the following contributors who bestowed their expert knowledge of books and book design; graphic designers, Charlotte Fish and Mark Gowing; bookbinder Sabine Pierard. Last, but not least, I extend my deepest gratitude to John Lee for his resolute support, and to all my family and friends for their constant and continued patience and understanding. iii A B S T R A C T This research investigates the effects of new media technologies on the architecture of the book in the context of a New Media Age. The aim of the project was to develop a Conceptual Framework for the design and production of the contemporary book as a material object. The materiality of the contemporary book is examined by revisiting its historical origins in the Middle Ages, to discover the extent in which the ‘new’ media technology of mechanical printing determined the design and production of the fifteenth century book. Parallels were then drawn between these effects and those of digital technology on the book in this current New Media Age. The results revealed the book as a palimpsest, where remnants of ‘older’ media remain embedded in the design and form of the ‘new.’ While fundamentally situated in the field of graphic design, the study also ventures into the disciplines of architecture and the semiotic theories of Umberto Eco and Gunther Kress. The design of the research includes historical and theoretical analysis, case studies of selected contemporary book objects and a series of studio investigations into the space, form, techniques, processes and materials of traditional and contemporary book construction. The theories and design practices of William Morris, implemented in the studio investigations, included researching the origins of book production in the fifteenth century and the traditional hand technologies of papermaking, printmaking and bookbinding. New media investigations included experimental work with laser etching and the embedding of printed, paper pages in porcelain. A synthesis of the theoretical and practical research findings, was then interpreted as semiotic conceptual matrices, from which a Conceptual Framework was constructed. Conclusions drawn from the study reveal the design of the book as a palimpsest of past technologies that remain embedded in the design of the contemporary book. As a material demonstration of the thesis, a series of three- dimensional conceptual models were developed as reading sites informing the design of contemporary books as palimpsest readings of the book as a material object for the New Media Age. iv D E F I N I T I O N O F T E R M S Architecture The term, architecture, is used as a metaphor for the structure and organization of many things other than buildings (Margolin 1989:108). The idiom ‘architecture of the book’ used in this thesis, refers to the various disciplines involved the book’s construction rationalised in a single object. Thus the book can be read as an analogy of the building. Book Object In the context of this thesis the term, book object, refers to both the physical form of the ubiquitous book and the book as an object of art and design, unfettered by the economics of mass-manufacture. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages refers to the period covering about one thousand years from the fifth to the fifteenth century (Diehl 1980). However, in this thesis the term will primarily refer to the period of transition from the thirteenth century to the end of the fifteenth century. New Media Age The designation, New Media Age (Kress 2003), describes the recent emergence of a technologically oriented culture, covering the period since 1990, and the introduction of the personal computer, to the present day. New Media The term, new media, widely refers to digital technologies. However, in the context of this thesis, new media will also refer to past technologies that were considered new in the context of their time. Palimpsest Palimpsests, Greek for ‘rubbed over,’ were common in late antiquity, when papyrus became scarce and expensive. Greek scribes often erased the writing on an old sheet and wrote a new script on the refreshed papyrus. The practice was continued by medieval scribes to conserve valuable parchment. Reading Site The term refers to the architectural affiliations of the book and computer as semiotic sites of reading. v C O N T E N T S C O N T E N T S Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Definition of terms vi Introduction : The Plan Codex : Code x : Thesis Statement 1 The Future of the Book : Background 1 Conceptual Framework : Research Purpose 6 Methodology : Research Design 6 Limitations : Research Scope 7 Graphic Design : Research Significance 8 The Narrative : Thesis Structure 9 PART ONE : Theoretical Analysis An examination of the effect of new media technologies on the architecture of the book. Chapter 1 Foundations : Architectural Origins Introduction 14 Reading the Cathedral 15 A Peak Experience 15 Illumination 16 Reading Glass Texts 18 Reading Stone Texts 20 Towards an Architecture of the Book 22 Conclusion 24 Chapter 2 Construction : Building the Book Introduction 28 Reading the Manuscript 29 The Total Work 29 Idea of the Book 30 The Aedificium Scriptorae 32 The Art of Illumination 33 A Codex Blueprint 36 Reading the Book 39 A Media Revolution 40 The Gutenberg Bible 41 The Gutenberg Effect 43 Conclusion 46 Chapter 3 Deconstruction : Dismantling the Book Introduction 48 Reading the Screen 50 Reading Multimedia 51 Light-Through Windows 53 Virtual Cathedral 54 Architectural Reading Site 58 iii C O N T E N T S Reading the iBook 60 Reading Media 60 Remediation 63 Electronic Illumination 65 Conclusion 67 Chapter 4 Reconstruction : Redesigning the Book Introduction 71 Reading Sites 71 Multimodal Discourse 73 The Visual Essay 77 Appealing to the Senses 82 Object of Desire 85 The Art of the Book 87 Reading Material 90 Graphic Illumination 92 Conclusion 94 Chapter 5 Illuminations : On Book Design Introduction 99 The Artists’ Book 100 The Designers’ Book 103 Reading Material 104 Material Matters 105 Books of Vision 109 Graphic Illuminator 112 Designer Book Case Studies 115 Case Study 1 : Codex Aedificium 117 Case Study 2 : Codex Sensus 122 Conclusion 131 PART TWO : Studio investigations A study of space, form, materials, processes, and techniques used in book design and production, towards the exploration and realisation of concept models for the design of the book as a material object. Chapter 6 Codex : Code X : The Book as Material Object Introduction 134 William Morris 136 Interrogating the Materiality of the Book 137 Paper 137 Papermaking Studies 143 Print 147 Printmaking Studies 150 New Media 153 New Media Studies 155 Bookbinding 162 Bookbinding Studies 165 Conclusion 169 iv C O N T E N T S PART THREE : A Conceptual Framework The integration of the theoretical and practical studies into a conceptual framework interpreted as a series of book objects Chapter 7 Palimpsest : Codex : Code X Introduction 172 A Conceptual Framework 173 Interpretation 178 Semiotic Readings 189 An Exhibition 195 Concept Models and Book Objects 202 Conclusion 211 Chapter 8 Conclusion : Palimpsest Readings Introduction 215 A Design Palimpsest : Research Results 216 Books in a New Media Age : Research Implications 217 Electronic Illumination : Future Research 218 Towards a Future of the Book : Conclusions 219 Bibliography 223 Figure References 235 Publications 238 Appendix I CD ROM : Illuminations Back cover Appendix II CD ROM : Palimpsest Readings Back cover v I N T R O D U C T I O N I N T R O D U C T I O N 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N THE PLAN No piece of information is superior to any other.