Discovery at BanQ

Essence of Man

Due to a lack of proper documentation, my memory remembers the name of this book but not the author. Essence of Man is a box structure that holds about 20-25 small vails of "essence" that stereotypically pertain to men. The essences varied from body fluids, to scraps of objects like hockey pucks, to beer.

Essence of Man completely shattered and rebuilt my understanding of what a book can be. Documentation in its purest form. Making the physical objects speak rather than the author speaking for them. An interesting approach that allows viewers to create their own ideas about each "essence".
The structure itself was a black rectangular box with a lid that opens from the top, like a treasure chest. The only typography present in the book was the 3 x 3 in. white papers that include the author's name, the name of the book, and an author's statement.
This visual book was inspiring to me because as an artist I would quickly categorize this book as anything but a book. It helped me visualize beyond codex binding. Using physical material to accentuate the theme and/or actually tell the story is exciting because it opens the door to artists that may not have the right words but still have a story to tell.