Picture Monica Lewinsky w a cigar, Hitler in a bunker, the Beatles w their lawyers. It’s all here. Or rather it’s all in your mind… So what does a book look like that is targeted at visual artists and creatives, yet has exactly ZERO pictures and isn’t a how-to? Well, it looks like well-known photo agent Frank Meo’s latest personal project called Mind Prints. A hardback book laden w typography. From the intro:
We all collect images we’ve seen in the course of our days. But there’s even more: how aout all the images we created ourselves, in our minds, mages of things we haven’t actually seen, and of which no photos exist, things that the paparazzimissed; images that we created based on media accounts, water cooler discussions. What if somebody curated those images, strung them up in a gallery show for you to walk through and see, clearly and consciously..?
The book is an amazing series of words, phrases, and ideas pulled from pop culture that will either blow your mind or get it racing. Click thru the 10 or so slides in the gallery above to get a sample – brilliant, simple, evocative.
The book is available here at Frank’s site. And, bonus here for New Yorkers…the Art Director’s Club of NY will be presenting the full collection in their gallery for a 6 week run. The opening is this Thursday, January 19th. RSVP to rsvp@adcglobal.org or go to Frank’s Facebook page (first come first serve) if you’d like to attend.
Interesting, a very creative and special approach to an art booklet. I like the idea, but I wouldn’t buy this.
Brilliant.
I was sceptical but it totally works. If I had to critique, I’m not sure I like how John Lennon’s eyes are out of focus in the pic with the lawyers. It just brings down the impression for me.
Nice idea (it does work) but I would have called the project “Picture This”
you have got to be kidding me. Please don’t tell me this is something anyone expects us to buy….with money?! Heres a even better doper beatnick idea, print a book called “mind photos” and just leave the pages blank, and we will have to create the images with our brain cameras…
its not even original thoughts, its just a couple words on a page about something that happened in the past, its not even the “artists” original idea! nothing about this is original or “artistic” or creative.
“brilliant”?! really?
LOL at posting a trolling rant post as “don’t flame me.”
hey @mr/mrs don’t flame me.
I’m leaving the soul of your post, but editing out the insults. in the future, if you have an opinion, it’s good to share it, just avoid outright name calling – you’ll do better to get your opinion heard. normally, I just outright delete such posts.
but i’m keeping the heart of your matter so as to clarify a point.
now, considering what you said above, I still have to disagree. these pieces of art are called “conceptual”. they don’t have to do with pretty pictures necessarily. conceptual art widely and highly regarded in the art world as legit. so hopefully you’ll take that to heart in forming opinions on this and future conceptual works.
I get what you’re saying Chase, but I personally find the book very gimicky… there are so many more things out there (especially books) more stimulating and energizing for artists.
I find the overall idea rather lame… it’s almost like a bad college assignment that you turn in last minute without much effort
Haha, love this response.
He lost me at “Joan Benet Ramsey”. Sigh…
Yeah, that got me, too. Pretty huge error. That and J. Edgar Hoover in a dress, since that is a proven myth (http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cross-dressing-j-edgar-hoover-story-dismissed-by-historians/2011/11/08/gIQAyiiQCN_story.html). Also, Gotti wasn’t alleged to be in the car with Sliwa.
I appreciate the concept — I think it is powerful to have one’s attention drawn to how vividly we can imagine these situations. I do not appreciate the inaccuracies in some of the scenarios that even minor vetting would have corrected.
Are you saying that you never heard a rumor and made it true in your head; thought out the entire situation with vivid images. That’s half the fun of the book. I don’t think they’re trying to get us to recall the factual images in the media as much as the ones we made up. So, if the story wasn’t true… that just makes it better.
The mix of history, news, and rumors, and gags dilutes the impact a bit.
The concept is very cool, don’t get me wrong… and I love history and have many times thought of things just like this in my head. However, to call this art? I would be hard pressed to find more than 1 in 100 even understand this, let alone purchase it. Seems to me that anyone can make a dollar with any type of idea today.
On the other hand, love your stuff Chase, keep up the good work.
I think this is the start of a great idea which will lead to something else (what that is, I can’t claim to know). However, it just doesn’t speak to me and I’m not really feeling the impact.
It does, however, interest me in learning more about Frank Meo and what he does. If that’s the point, mission accomplished.
as any creative art work goes, you always have to start with something visual. I don’t suppose you have to see it in a defined shape.
You can’t always put a $ onto every single art piece.
If by purchasing a concept with these pages on a recycle paper with no hard binding but going through them at the most random times in our mind then producing something of our own. That is money worth spend isn’t it.
The media isn’t the key. Its what the concept would eventually evolved to that counts.
would I buy the book?
would I want to meet the person behind the concept?
wouldn’t it be great if I am able to visualize all of my ideas in my art creation process?
I like the concept for sure. This could be the new porno.
After reading it twice, I kind of like it. I create the “pictures” in my mind and can actually visualize them.
I’d buy the book if it cost $5 though for a coffee table book. Not more.
I won’t flame but this is one that has me scratching my head.
Let me sell ya a lump of coal- it’s a diamond, really. I don’t buy it but thanks for sharing.
Is it just me, or is this a “why didn’t I think of that” moment? Great concept.
I think that everyone is more just pissed they didn’t think of it first.
Guy in New Jersey. [not getting the point of this]
I guess I don’t get why this will be in the Art Directors of NY gallery for six weeks. I don’t see it as visual, no pun intended.
Isn’t this what all books do? You read words and then create images in your head to fit what your read.
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.”
Everyone has a different idea of what Lolita looks like, different than Mr. Nabokov. But no one is hanging the book in the Art Directors Gallery.
I dunno. Not for me. To “Pet Rock”-ish
Chase, sorry but this one is just plain lame. This “book” is just another example of someone trying way too hard, or not hard enough, to be different. This is just another sign of society in decline.. Also, in your words ,” conceptual art widely and highly regarded in the art world as legit”.. What exactly does that mean? I enjoy your blog quite a bit, but this just doesn’t make much sense. What is “legit” in the world of art? Legitimate: Conforming to the law or to rules…. I was not aware of any rules regarding art.
glad you felt like sharing your opinion. I don’t agree with it, but that’s fine by me. to answer your question…by “legit: i mean “legitimate” and by that I mean that it’s a recognized well-rounded, growing, evolving discipline within art. it’s not some crazy ass fringe thing. as in “conceptual” art.
an example of something that wouldn’t be recognized would be fingernail painting.
You should see my daughter’s fingernail painting
Fascinating, we all have our personal image book printed in our mind!
why this book kinda kicks ass…
It makes me picture Ted Kaczynski stumbling into the post office with an arm-full of oddly shaped letters. Desperately trying to hold them all and not drop one. As he lumbers toward the counter, a bomb filled letter slips and as Ted watches it drop in horror it is caught by a stranger passing by. The clerk looks over at him and smiles, “well don’t you have a lot of friends.” He gives her a half-cocked smile, trying to look and innocent and friendly, “uh, yeah you could say that.”….
This makes me chuckle. What price can you put on a good chuckle?
Thanks for all of the comments and I do mean all. I really appreciate you taking time to stop, join the discussion and contribute to the conversation. It means the world to me. As a small way to say thanks I’d like to send all of you a copy of the book, yes all. Of course no charge, you’ll receive the book within a week – no strings. Again thanks to Chase for starting the dialog. Please send me your mailing address to: frank@thephotocloser.com.
very generous of you, Frank!
Ahh, well, I quite like the concept. It’s different – but it is not related to photographic art in my view. As mentioned already above, it reminds me of reading…
BTW, I probably shouldn’t have posted this now after Frank offered a book for everybody commenting so far
Not quite the same, but reminds me of Unphotographable (a text account of pictures missed)- http://www.unphotographable.com/
Many thanks for all you do.