Designer pain

[imomus]

Graphic Masochism is my latest piece for Voice: American Institute of Graphic Arts Journal. It seems to be provoking a few comments, which is more than the last one did. If you find the theme (more to do with things like ambivalence, negotiation and collaboration than actual sexual masochism) interesting you might want to read Metaphysical Masochism of the Capitalist Creative, the 2000 essay where I first broached this theme. Earlier this year I re-wrote that original essay for Amsterdam-based design magazine Dot Dot Dot. Issue 8 will appear shortly; you can check out the contents here. (I'm looking forward to reading 'The English Breakfast as a Modular System'!)

We decided to illustrate the AIGA Voice piece with the sleeve for Etienne de Crecy's Superdiscount album (1996), designed by H5 (Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and Ludovic Houplain). Which is funny, because I've just turned in a 1000 word piece for the November issue of Index magazine casting Paris musicians like o.lamm and Hypo as dragon-slaying knights -- the dragons being such 90s figures as Mirwais, Air, Phoenix, Cassius and... Etienne de Crecy.

Comments

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Ha hah. Years ago, I saw the improbable Mr. Rollins (anyone with a neck circumference greater than 20 inches qualifies as a 'Mr.') walking the streets of New York once, oblivious to all about him, looking up intently at a skyscraper, grinning to himself. I wondered to myself if he was planning on bench-pressing it. Not wishing to meet the same fate as Fay Wray, I made for the subway.

Met 'Mr'. Chantry a few years back. His neck, too, commanded my deference--but then, I look like a 12 year old boy.

W