Newsflash
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Interview
Evil Twin Publications Pt.1
If there is such a thing as a mega article, we reckon this is it. SUPERSWEET has invited many mega's in the art world to have a go at interviewing their one time (or more) collaborators, Amber and Stacy from Evil Twin Publications whose books are simple at first glance but every page is filled with carefully thought out ideas and so much passion and joy in the making. For one time only, from US Vice's Jesse Pearson to Jamie Berger to Nick Zinner have all chipped in to show why these girls remain their quirky bookhouse of choice. It's time to show them some love!
Fritz Haeg (Author of the forthcoming book Sundown Salon to be released by Evil Twin in Spring 2009): What is the first book that you fell in love with? When? Why?
Amber Gayle: When I was 10, I found Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson in the library. I vividly remember pulling out the faded orange volume, wondering about the strange title. On the cover there was a group of creatures on a veranda with autumn leaves flitting past. Later that day I read about Mymble's walk through the rain in her red boots and her arrival at the Moomin house where she blithely moves into the sunniest guestroom and combs out her hair and curls up on the quilted coverlet to nap, while others fuss about where the Moominfamily have gone. One is always searching for books that resonate with one's world-view and state of mind and fantasy like that, it's like finding a book written by a more perfect version of oneself. One keeps longing to find another moment like this, or to create one.
Stacy Wakefield Forte: Fritz is totally right to make us think about childhood book memories, when books are your passageway to the greater world. I have the fondest memories of my mom's architectural books, she liked to lie in bed studying Victorian era engravings and house floor plans and I looked over her shoulder and we'd talk about which walls we'd knock down and who would live in each room and what color we'd paint the trim. That pieces of paper bound together are infinite in information, ideas, emotion, and fantasy is still something I am in complete awe of!
Nick Zinner (whose photographs appear in 'No Seats on the Party Car' and 'Slept in Beds' and whose book 'I Hope You Are All Happy Now' was co-published with Evil Twin and St. Martin's Press in 1995): Are going to do an Evil Twin book about twins?
Stacy: Actually, we did one! 'The Twin Survey' which is a small 'zine we put out in 2005. Before that, we were working on a bigger book about twins that didn't see the light of day. We spent a year doing interviews for it, it was going to focus on interesting creative adult twins and what their relationships were like, since there isn't anything out there like that. Twins' relationships aren't like anything else, and most twins don't know many other twins, so there are issues we face and think about that twins tend to be eager to discuss with each other. Also the public in general is sort of curious about twins, so it seemed like a project with a lot of potential, which was its downfall. We easily got an agent who was excited about the project, but all the publishers passed because we wanted to deliver straight interviews in the voices of the folks we talked to, they thought it was too undigested. By the time that all sorted itself out we lost our momentum and never finished the book.
Amber: I made use of the material we had collected for my academic research project on twin relationships. So we put that out, but I definitely don't feel done with the topic yet!
Allyson Vieira (creator of 'Geometry + Democracy', Evil Twin 2006 ): Your books are so tactile and material. How does each book reveal and complicate itself physically through your design decisions?
Stacy: Thank you for the compliment! I make a lot of dummies when I'm creating a book. It's easy to design a book on the computer and never even see it as a physical object. When you start making mock ups and seeing what different papers and colors and designs do you make decisions differently. Also that's the fun part, playing with paper and scissors like a kindergartener. But still, when you get the final product in your hands, it is always a surprise in some way you didn't expect. I can't think of any surprise I've disliked though. After some happy accidents early on, I have made it my goal is to always leave a few elements up to a certain amount of chance and randomness.
Jamie Berger: (Author of 'Bo's Arts', Evil Twin 2006) What's the most satisfying part of collaborating with each other?
Amber: I just love to see what Stacy creates. Her work always surprises me and also makes so much sense.
Stacy: Maybe it's because I'm a twin that I love collaborating so much. Working on my own bores me, it's the negotiation and spark of working with other folks whose work I like that interests me!
Jamie: What's the most frustrating?
Amber: Our ideas shift and change as we work on a project, and every now and then we just disagree about how something should be and can't figure it out. Those are the projects that get shelved. Maybe we're a little dependent that way.
SS: Has the decline in print affected you as a publisher at all or is this more for the mainstream book industry?
Stacy: The decline in print has coincided with a boom in interest in hand-crafted things and also new technology that makes creating and distributing books easier and cheaper than ever. When we started out, cheap photocopied 'zines were the norm and the fact that we used unusual paper and printing processes and even ink colors made us stand out. But now playful artists' book projects have proliferated, because anyone who just wants to get their thoughts out there has a blog. The idea that books are special as objects, not just a means to communicate information, has taken hold of the culture at large. I am sure it's harder for trade publishers to make a profit these days, but it isn't affecting our decisions.
Jesse Pearson (co-editor of 'Catholic No.1: CATS' released by Evil Twin in 2004): There's a witch after you guys. She wants to turn you into animals. One of you has to get turned into a cat and one of you has to get turned into a dog. Which twin gets which animal form and why?
Stacy: I would rather be the cat. Cats have lots of adventures and don't rely on humans too much. But I think Amber will be happy as a dog. Her husband is really good with the two dogs and horse they have, so I'm imagining her being part of their pack and having a nice dog life all playing in the forest together.
Grrrrt (co-author of 'Not For Rent: Conversations with Creative Activists in the UK' published by Evil Twin in 1995): What book do you NEED to publish before being able to quit the project?
Amber: I would like to complete my novel 'Everready', which I began writing 13 years ago!! Perhaps because it is very close to my heart, I have always allowed other projects to intervene.
Read Part 2 of the interview here.
Photography: Stacy Wakefield Forte
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