Symphony for a Beloved Sun（Book Design）
Symphony for a Beloved Sun is an artist monograph published on the occasion of Anish Kapoor’s first major solo exhibition in Berlin, Germany. Bringing modern artworks into the classical environment of the Martin-Gropius-Bau (a structure built in 1881) would create contrast and tension. The book does the same. The classical proportions, the grid, type treatment, Stempel Garamond typeface, and red thread are all contrasted with modern elements: photographs of the artwork itself which defy the grid stretching across two pages to occupy the space they need (and remind the reader of the artworks’ scale), large type dividers which visually exploit the typeface, and a single ‘bloody’ red edge to the book. The central work of the exhibition (Symphony for a Beloved Sun) consisted of large conveyor belts dropping blocks of red wax from a height onto the museum floor, a brutal and bloody business. Brighten the Corners collaborated with Anish Kapoor Studio on the cover artwork which was stained with red oil paint, a mark that was allowed to seep into the first pages of the book and essay section.
