8x120cm, 16 pages, Accordion Book
Being a 120 cm long accordion book, this project was completed in less than 6 hours during Yeşim Demir's Publication Design Workshop. The fast-paced book was printed on A4 sheets and assembled using glue and tape within the workshop. The brief focused on recording, curating, and preserving visual perception through a personal selection, with the goal of creating an experimental publication. Participants were tasked with transforming gathered content into a cohesive design by exploring categorization, hierarchy, and their own unique design style.
Salt Beyoğlu, Mutfak
November 16, 2024
"I began this project by measuring my phone, knowing that this device shapes much of my visual experience in daily life. Although the workshop focused on images, photographs, and everything we see, I knew I didn’t want to use images. I realized that we don’t truly focus on what’s on the screen; we likely don’t remember anything we scroll through. This led me to focus on the experience itself and how these digital mediums affect our perception over time."
"The book starts by mimicking the overwhelming details we encounter in apps, particularly Instagram. As time passes, I eliminate most of these elements, drawing the reader deeper into the "scrolling process." I explored how simple movements, like scrolling, shape our perception and limit our attention due to the vertical format."
"At the end of the front side, I wanted to emphasize the movement of scrolling. The design incorporates three circles that either seem to continue the scroll or disrupt it, giving the viewer a feeling of motion while also hinting the back side of the book by breaking in the continuous motion."
"On the other side of the book, I wanted to take the viewer to a more philosophical place, making it difficult to read. This forces the reader to rotate the book in an attempt to understand the text. The poem, "Ithaca" from Homer's Iliad, reflects on the journey and struggles of life. I chose this poem to create irony, especially the line "Dile ki Uzun Sürsün Yolun" (Hope your journey lasts long), prompting the viewer to question, "What is my journey?" Is it the journey we go through mindlessly while scrolling, or is it the deeper journey of life itself?"
"This was an invitation to question how we consume and expose ourselves to an endless stream of visuals. To highlight this, I used only a vivid red color throughout the project, symbolizing the attention-demanding nature of these procedures that exploit our focus. The book ends by bringing us back to the first page, where it says, “WATCH IT AGAIN.” I wanted to create an endless loop, a constant circulation that mirrors the format of the accordion book. I chose the accordion format specifically to emphasize the absurdity of the vertical journey we scroll through, with a total length of 120 centimeters."
