Other Books and So is the name of an unusual Amsterdam bookshop from the 1970s—a space for works that go beyond the conventional definition of books: “other books, non books, anti books, pseudo books, quasi books, concrete books, conceptual books….” This curious list by Ulises Carrión, who initiated the project, reflects both his fascination with experimental publishing and a generation’s desire to liberate the book from its traditional constraints.
New technologies such as the Xerox photocopier fueled the spirit of experimentation. Artists acted as authors, designers, and producers, challenging the book as a static container for text. As Carrión notes, “a book is an autonomous space-time sequence.” What the photocopier was then, the internet is today, opening up limitless possibilities for creation, knowledge, and self-expression.
And yet despite the predictions of print’s demise, books remain indispensable. No longer mass products, they become valuable archives of knowledge and memory—and, at the same time, simple and enduring means of communication. Designers now explore the fertile intersection between web and print, often in collaboration with authors and programmers.
In the course Other Books and Code, students investigate the role that the book plays in the digital space. How can both media enrich one another? The result is 13 projects that exist both as websites and printable brochures.