Science and Reading

The art of simple note-taking

Diane Fine and Tracy Honn. The art of simple note-taking. [Plattsburgh, NY]: Moonkosh Press: [Madison, WI]: Ragpicker Press, 1996.

Timothy Ely. Charts. [1987.]

Caren Heft. The blues and jives of Dr. Hepcat. by Alan Govenar. Racine, WI: Arcadian Press, 1993 [i.e. 1994].

Sam Pappas. Feathers, chords, and scales drawn and bound, Sam Pappas. [MI], 1985.

Karen Wirth. Viewpoints. [Minnesota?]: K. Wirth, c1995.

Books and journals are the preferred site for scientific publications and scholarly expression. Many artists publish the results of research and investigations, and reference scientific methods in their work; some in earnest, others with ironic intent. Tim Ely’s unique bookworks such as Charts make use of maps and systems of scientific observation. His interest in alchemy and the history of science is reflected in this work.

The Art of simple note-taking reproduces a schoolchild’s bean sprout experiment. The effort of scientific notation takes on a poetic quality as the child anxiously watches over the bean and on successive days remarks “No change.” The book was made by Diane Fine and Tracy Honn.

In his unique book Feathers, chords, and scales Sam Pappas invents a visual system of notation for bird songs. This idiosyncratic code is rendered with pen and ink, and each bird is represented by a real feather inserted into the page.

Printed on jazzy yellow paper in staccato typographic settings Caren Heft’s The blues and jives of Dr. Hepcat is a visual counterpoint to the musical subject of the book. The box includes a cassette recording of the eponymous artist.

Karen Wirth’s accordion book Viewpoints is a response to the scientist Robert Hooke’s work. Her book includes inserted plastic lenses that the viewer may look through, and is an artist’s inquiry into different modes of perception.