Winter is a time to read some books. This was a Christmas present a gave to myself. Part 3 of 3. Books.
Why
Curious about her writing after encountering her elsewhere. I think the earliest encounter were some texts on on-line self-representation. I was reminded of Quicho’s existence by her appearance in Morgane Billuart’s Becoming a Product. And that in turn reminded me of transmediale 2024 where she was on stage (day 1, exhibition and closing discussion). Some of the artists in the book I encountered previously and was curious about Quicho’s view on their work (WangShui, Stephanie Comilang, Lawrence Lek).
Form
“Normal” paperback, but well made. Inside pages out of soft and slightly rough cream colour paper, nice to touch. Font is a serif on the smaller side, but still OK. Ultimately, I ended up reading this book with one hand standing in a bus and it still worked well.
Content
10 chapters related to different artworks that somehow contained a drone (remote-controlled aircraft) as a motive or technology. First chapter did not fit in as it tried to explain the etymology of the word and discuss something about the meaning of the word in music (sustained tone). Not much more than a superficial summary of some top google search results. Following chapters dedicated to artworks showed more in depth observation and thought went into them. The arch spanned from artworks critically analysing the martial use of drones as a military technology, to artworks focusing on its civil surveillance use, to artworks using the drone as a metaphor for an non-human intelligence or supernatural spirit. References were drawn together from first-hand interviews with the artists and reviews written by others about the selected artist’s works. The whole was interspersed with experiential interludes by the author in first person, describing Bangkok cab rides, London cycling, cocktail drinking and associated weather conditions.
Takeaway
The book did provide some insight into the artworks, artists and their thoughts, highlighting the popularity of the drone (remote-controlled aircraft) motive in contemporary discourse. The book was written in a light and pleasant Sunday newspaper supplement style. Easy to read, but also easy to forget. As it was based on a list of artworks, its meandering style could easily go on forever without insulting any reader. Ultimately, I believe the book reflects the references used, where both artist’s statements and curatorial texts are too often used to bullshit the audience instead of providing guidance. Thus, even though practically there was not too much to take away and it would be better to experience the listed artworks in one thematic gallery exhibition, the feelings created by reading the book were pleasant.