Art: Definition Five (and Other
Writings) is a hand-bound
pamphlet from our permanent Fine arts collection by Peter Koch.
Peter Rutledge Koch is a cross breed between Philosophy,
literature and Art. Born a Montana poet/philosopher, he nomadically traveled
and worked in his youth.in 1970 Koch returned to his roots enrolling in The University
of Montana, Missoula to acquire his B.A in Philosophy. Immediately following
Koch gained a slew of residencies and jobs which lead to his work in
Letterpress and Bookbinding at the Black Stone Press in Vancouver. From then on
he has not stopped he has gone on to have many solo and group exhibitions,
opened a collection of galleries and foundations including The Codex
Foundation, a annual artist fair in Berkeley, California(The center will have a
table at the upcoming one)and has published many articles and books along the
way. He has immersed himself in typography, Papermaking, Printing, bookbinding
and the design of book. Currently he runs a collective of printers and book
makers/designers in Berkeley, California.
“I firmly stand on the side of the argument that
there is no art without craft. Art without craft denies the difficult beauty of
a thing well made, the elegant simplicity of an idea. Through craft and the
precision of design, I seek to bring the rich civilization of the printed book
with me to the forge of meaning.”
(Quadraat, the Typeface Koch used)
Art: Definition Five (and Other
Writings) 23 x
19x14.1cm is a three page; three color letterpressed Pamphlet. The edition of
500 was printed in 2008 with assistance by Jonathan Gerken and The CODEX
Foundation. This manifesto walks you through Peter koches creative mindset and
the philosophical debate in his process whether or not what he crafts is art or
not and if not what it is.
“I was at the Artist’s Book Fair this weekend. There was too
mauch ponsy foo foo stick-everything-shiny/frilly/pretty-onto-some-neat-paper-and-and-bind-it
shit there. But whatever…” –Karen bleilk,
London
July11, 2012 –
September, 15,2012 Book as Witness: The Artist Respons:
an upcoming Center For Book Arts exhibition will have work from Peter Koch
along with many other book artists. Koch will show, a hand bound journal entitled, The Lost Journals of Sacajawea