Expérience Poche vol.01 - Le Horla
06.2023
research, print & editorial
How to harness the potential of the printed book to offer a renewed and interactive reading experience? 'Expérience Poche' seeks to provide a response to this question through a research endeavor focusing on various approaches to the utilization of paper material within renowned literary works
The first volume explores the surface approach to paper through research on phosphorescent pigment printing in silkscreen, within Guy de Maupassant's famous psychological and dramatic short story, "Le Horla."
Within a format characteristic of French parperback from the 1950s to the present day, I implemented various types of graphic, typographic, editorial, and printing mutations that follow the rhythm of the narrative, evolving crescendo, much like the suffering experienced by the protagonist. This approach is based on the study of handwritten texts and the variations that handwritten writing can induce in layout and text treatment.
Beyond its visual aspect, phosphorescent ink has a distinctive texture when touched, a potentiality invested in the initial pages of the book where one can only discern this ink through touch. The book gradually transforms to progressively induce a renewal in the reading experience, evolving into a unique work, unreadable in daylight, and revealing a strong literary and graphic denouement when read in darkness. By touching the paper, handling the object in different environments, and seeking phosphorescence, we renew the way we read, paradoxically, within an object that initially appears to be a classic paperback.
This work is a research publication and also serves as a mediator of the experimental process through documentation embedded in the form of a color chart within the volume. It is accompanied by economic and technical information related to the creation and use of phosphorescent inks from pigments.
