Book Urbanism at LIFT 11

Book urbanismDeveloping books like cities Laurent Bolli & Frédéric Kaplan http://bookapp.comfrederic.kaplan@bookapp.com Twitter : @frederickaplanlaurent.bolli@bookapp.com Twitter: @lobollo

One can think of manymetaphors for reading.

e.g. Swimming Linking Linking Reading Reading Reading

In this workshop we willthink of books as cities.

Books CitiesBook projects as urban projectsBook sequences as travel routesBook development as urbanization processesBook economics as urban economicsBook reading as urban experiencesBook problems as urban problems...

Books CitiesOur hypothesis is that working in the citiesspace will give us ideas in the book’s space.This is what you will do in this workshop.

Construction ofthe metaphor.

Dimension 1A text is like a unidirectional path.Reading a text is like walking the path.Reading fast is like running.

Dimension 2Pages are like closed surfaces withindicated entrances and exits andassociated circulation rules.

Talmud, Isaac Alfasi1380-1400

“Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard”Stéphane Mallarmé, 1914

Zic et Puce aux IndesAlain Saint-Ogan

Dimension 3A book is like a city, a 3D organizationof closed spaces with complexcirculation rules.

Entrance

Saline Royale d’Arc et Senan

Entering a book:pages de garde, page de faux titre, page de grand titre, page de copyright, page dedépart.

Circulation patterns

LinearThe reader has no other choicethan to move forward.

Chinese wall

LinearThe reader can leave the main roadto explore complementary circuits.

Divina Commedia + glose

Treaty on Aristote’s “soul”, with Averroès comments, beginning of XIVe century, BNF

Vézeley (France).A processional path to aBenedictine abbey with achurch famous as the restingplace of the remains of MaryMagdalen.

City of Bern with three main streets

Parallel linesThe reader can switch sideways.

Samuel R. Delany’s “On the Unspeakable”.

TranslationThe reader can switch sideways.

Book in two languages at the same time Rosetta stone

Italo Calvino, “The Castle of Georges Perec, “La Vie modeCrossed destinies” d’emploi”, book map and organisation

Map of New-York, 1755

Star-Shaped

Palmanova (Italy) created in 1593-1623Closed - Clear districts - 3 gates

Why the Net Matters, iPad-onlybook by David Eagleman Annual Report, Nestlé 2010

Labyrinths

Gamebooks (livre dont vous êtes le héros)

Aigues-Mortes (France) 1240s

Souk Future city of Masdran

Growth patterns

WikipediaA huge collection of authors (architects) writes formattedtexts (paths) and makes links between them (connectedpaths). The resulting city grows organically anddemonstrates a modern form of book-urbanization.Its growth is semi-planned as some patterns and editorialrules are imposed to maintain regular structures throughoutthe development of the project.

Chris Harrison, 2007. Onerepresentation of Wikipedia

Los Angeles

Wikipedia is the !rst apparentlysustainable megabook.It attracts constantly new constructions.It su"ers from the same problems as bigcities (vandalism, orientation and signagesystems, cleaning, etc.)

Many others have fails (Geocities, etc.)It is crucial to understand wellthe rules of successful social growth.

Exercise :What kind of megabook is Facebook ?

Suburbs

Other kinds ofgrowth patterns

Annotations

QR Code URLF. Kaplan, “La Métamorphose des objets”, FYP

QR Code URL comments images videos ...F. Kaplan, “La Métamorphose des objets”, FYP

bookstrapping.com

Now your turn Books Cities

Warming up.What kind of book modelscorrespond to thesecities pictures?

Shopping spaces(1) A company hires professional builders to construct ashopping district. Entrance is free but visitors will beencouraged to buy other goods or services from thecompany. Alternatively, (2) a company gets specialized indesigning/building shopping districts and sells shoppingspaces to companies of type 1.This is the business model of- brochures (1)- catalogues (2).Shopping districts > Catalogues, Brochures

Advertising spacesLike the shopping area, entrance is cheap and somespaces are rented for advertising. What counts is attractingvisitors.This is the business model of many magazines, newspapersand websites. Time square, Shinjuku > magazine

Sponsored spacesA sponsor/the state gives money to an architect and abuilding company to produce a space with specialsponsored content/services. It does this essentially to getrecognition in a chosen area.This is the business model of sponsored books. Campus, Museum, Gardens > sponsored books

Model: Co-created settlementsIn Favelas, inhabitants co-create their own services andinfrastructures.This is the model of plateforms facilitating the co-creationof content. The role of authors and readers tend tomerge.Organic self-organized settlement, Favelas, Mutualized urban systems > Co-created content (print and digital)

Model 7: Science-!ction citiesScience-!ction provides many interesting city models.(cities than can change shapes, cities controlled bycomputers, etc.). Can they give us idea for new modelsfor books ? - Dark City, Matrix, Minority report - Book-machine

Time to work.Let’s imagine we are incharge of the greatcountry of book-cities.

5 Ministries to set thefoundation for a newperiod of development.

Ministry of PostMission: How to create a universal addresssystem that can designate precisely anycontent in any book-city.Deliverable : A concrete solution working forall the book-cities of our country.

Ministry of TourismMission: How to encourage visitors to cometo the book-cities of our country withattractive o"ers (organized tours,subscriptions), well-designed material(brochures, postcards)Deliverable: Ex. of actions and campaigns

Ministry of CommerceMission: How to create economicallysustainable book-cities in whichcommercial actors may want to settleand invest.Deliverable: Innovative business models

Ministry of PopulationMission: How to encourage readers to settlein book-cities and engage collectively intheir development (private/public spaces,co-construction, platforms).Deliverable: Concrete solutions and o"ers

Ministry of Connectivity andCirculationMission: How to create new kinds ofconnectivity inside and in betweenour book-cities. How to optimisecirculation of resources and information.Deliverable: Connectivity & circulation maps.

Process:• 30’ brainstorm• 5’ minutes presentation per ministry• debate

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Book Urbanism at LIFT 11

by Frederic Kaplan

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