### YET UNKNOWN PROJECT TITLE [insert plurality of ideas]

Dearest Anna and Hannah, thank you for your patience as I was juggling thoughts and ideas. Very happy to have you joining this space ::::) My hopes are this can give us a bit of a base and allow us to start collaboratively writing the application. I'll start with an overview of:
`- the project`
`- proposed planning`
`- whats needed for the application`
<br><br>
#### The project
The idea to approach you to collaborate came forth out of a project I have been working on (very low key) in the last year.

At the time I was reading some Lucy Lippard (founder of printed matter), who once said:
> One of the reasons artists' books are important to me is their value as a means of spreading information — content, not just aesthetics. In particular, they open up a way for artists to get their work out without depending on the undependable museum and gallery system. They also serve as an inexpensive vehicle for ideas. I'm talking about communication, but I guess I'm also talking about propaganda. Artists' books spread the word — whatever that word may be.”

The statement got me absolutely excited as I feel it still rings incredibly true. She wrote it in the early 60's, when artistic publishing first took off. Interestingly artistic publishing has had an astounding resurgence over the past several years, both in terms of artist who publish and public interest. Yet still, the content of most of them hasn't caught up to the accessibility of the form.
- which is super interesting because a reason why there was this explosion at first was also because of desktop publishing which democratizied graphic design and made it way easier to self publish etc.
-
Artist books are rarely digitized, created in a small number of editions, and are once out of print very hard to find. There is a lot of work left to be done in the distribution and promotion of artists’ books to bring an increased visibility and appreciation to the field.

So, the pirate in me started thinking about ways to make artistic publications more accessible. As a trial, I started to create my own collection of artistic publications with the idea of making it radically open. I digitalized all publications, made an instagram for the collection with a post of each book, and stated everywhere, DM_To_Get_PDF or come browse at Broedplaats Lely. The collection was meant as a testing ground to think about re-distribution of artist books, to celebrate these works and help them continuously find their audiences. I found it important to ask the artist/authors for consent before I would start sharing free pdf's of their work to whomever might ask. So, I started emailing them all and ended up asking them what had inspired them to make the publication, and what other artists working with print they though were interesting. Out of these conversations a collection of other works and texts would arise that all related to the publication in the collection, "a hypertext of ideas". Which I then used to create the Instagram posts about the publication on @interfacing.the.book. Each post showcases a non-linear reading of one work.

Its through these conversations that I realised the importance of searching for others to move through texts with. Both publishing (/creating print) and reading (/consuming print) is always something that we do together—something we do in plurality. An open-ended process of being in movement with others. One book bringing us to the next. It’s a very fussy process, of wandering and drifting and rambling in opacity. And it is through this collective movement that books are able keep their cultural value, keep their power. They need to be re-preformed in preservation.
How can archival material continue to make kin, even after being archived, even after its 'material' life?

Sometimes I find myself jealously looking at programming around publishing in Rotterdam; from Kiosk, Books-at-RET, Printroom and And-so-on. Whereas in Amsterdam there seems to be somewhat of a lack of initiatives that celebrate artistic reading and writing practices. It is something I really miss, post-sandberg has unfortunately also felt like a small loss of community. And so, I have found myself desparately looking for people to read and write with. Which why I came to you.

I hope toghether we can feed and grow the community of people who love books (in Amsterdam).

some thoughts by anna
- i love this! especially this "spread the word" – makes me also think about gossip!!
- i really like your comment on gossip, hope we can maybe do something with this, https://research-development.hetnieuweinstituut.nl/en/gossips
- it made me think of this video of clara balaguer where she talks about books not circulating being basically dead, and ofc also her essay "publishing as bloodletting"
- i find that relationship with movement and publishing really interesting – it makes me think of a chain that is constantly in movement

##### what I hope to create
- a website
A short of cookbook for creative reading and writing practices in Amsterdam. Who is working with print and text, what are they working on and more explorations relating to reading and writing practices. Most importantly because I want it to be a platform for more collaborations; Invite people to write texts, publish interviews, readinglists and so on. I hope it can also offer us an interesting platform to continually experiment with.
maybe this website could also have a safe and combine to pdf function like the sandberg website but in cool (lol)

- a creative writing workshop series (i think 3/4 sessions?)
I thought it could be interesting to structure the workshop around Octavia butler's term "primive hypertext". In an interview [https://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/science_fiction/transcripts/butler_delany_index.html] she once described how she always reads 4 books at the same time, as to be able to draw connections between the seamingly unconnected. I see the primitive hypertext as a process, it is about asserting the right to move laterally across many disciplines and ideas.
- these workshops are also activating the platform website

#### Whats needed for the application
I looked into funding possiblities at AFK and would like to initially go for this one (i talked to someone from afk who thought it would fit): https://www.amsterdamsfondsvoordekunst.nl/aanvragen/projectsubsidies-cultuurmakers/

but also looking at this one:
https://www.amsterdamsfondsvoordekunst.nl/aanvragen/projectsubsidies-professionele-kunst/

This could also be interesting
https://www.mondriaanfonds.nl/actueel/nieuws/nieuwe-ronde-kunst-media/

And will look into others aswell

***AFK LOGIN CREDENTIALS***
Login: MariavdTogt
Password: codpo1-hihxaj-saggaK

Afk needs 4 things for the application;
**a.** a fully completed application form;

**b.** a balanced budget and coverage plan, consisting of an overview of all expected income and expenses, and a written explanation for each budget item. The amount requested from the AFK is stated in the budget;

[i made a proposal and would like to go through it together sometime soon over dinner? i would like to apply for about 7000eu]

**c.** a resume or brief biography of the most important artistic and/or organizational person(s) involved, such as a writing coach, conductor, director or project leader;

[please insert your own]

Maria van der Togt [she/her] is an obsessive gatherer--of people, PDF's and answers. She is an amateur librarian and initiator of a community shadow library at the Sandberg Institute. Her work revolves around the ceative potentials and pitfalls of the tools that allow us to gather online. She has a particular focus for hybrid forms of collaboration, publishing, and archiving. She is an affiliated researcher at Institute of Network Cultures; where she is working togheter with FramerFramed to research hybridity in the cultural field within three domains: hybrid events, living archives, and hybrid publications. Maria recently co-edited and published a book on tactical media.

Anna Bierler [she/her] works with publishing formats, auto-ethnography and spatial set ups to investigate relational experiences and how these elucidate ways of doing and living together on this damaged planet. 

Recent workshops, performances and publications include: the workshop BECOMING A STONE, commissioned by Zone2Source, Amsterdam, BUILT OUT OF MEMORY, a collective writing workshop commissioned by Hackers and Designers for HDSA2022, the radio broadcast RUN DEEP, RUN WILD at Casco Art Institute, STONE NETWORK during Cloud Danslab Residency (all 2022). 
Anna co-founded the research collective STONE NETWORK and co-organized the
reading club OOOReadings in Rotterdam. Her writing has been published by Daisy World
Magazine (#2 and #4), and Robida #8.
She is a tutor at Fine Art and Design in Education, Artez, NL and recently published the book Snowblindness at Onomatopee, Eindhoven NL.

**d.** a project plan including communication plan or development plan (total max. 15 pages) including a description of the project or development for which funding is requested and a description of the (intended) participants and/or audience
and how to reach them;

I was advised by an afk person to make the whole application under 10 pages, preferably around 7.

Notes 06/01/22

MOTIVATION/WHY
- as recent graduates feeling a gap for structured spaces for community around publishing, reading, artist books etc to come together be active

AUDIENCE
- audience? echo chamber - continue this, break away from this
- audience, invite people through other spaces/guests. Older audience, target audience through flyers, non digital, have in english but with dutch name?
- audience - new spaces, new audiences, non-student community

- Eileen Myles Read in
- gatherings sitting together to read / write, value of this space
- invite people to host - highlight the community (we are the faciliators, creating network)

BUDGET
- Budget - for guests/ spaces 200 per guest/per session
- Our time 32- per hour?
- Budget - for printed matter?
- 25% self funded - our time (research, admin, preparation, communication, website). or budget in a space that is actually free

- movement, circulation, books as organisms, care, letting it circulate. reading together as movement
- make a frame, drawing connections, think about the role of publisher historically/now
- physical hyperlink during the sessions
- print on demand, physical manifestations of each session

SPACES / PEOPLE
- ARIAS Amsterdam write in
- various spaces of distribution (apart from san seriffe lol)
- spaces - use the city as a hosting structure - libraries, book shops, cafes etc - attract people that like the space already
- https://mezrab.nl/
- Leeszaal Rotterdam - create in Amsterdam ephemeral reading space
- Perdu (poetry, bookshop, publishing)
- and so on books
- de appel book shop (my friend can introduce me to the person who just took over running this H )
- http://www.readersandpublishers.org/amsterdam/all/
-

ONLINE SPACE
- Website/Cookbook : possibilty to choose from archive (a personal basket) and generate publication
- activate digital archive? host of session artist book maker

LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR THE FUND

##**cultuurparticipatie**
vsb
prins bernhard

Prof visuele kunst

https://www.are.na/block/20640759

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-yrTRf2-HjV8WNoQttAeJ9ObIjWjv0w2LITDXzGPFtw/edit

https://www.artsrn.ualberta.ca/fwa_mediawiki/images/9/96/WarnerPublics&Counterpublics.pdf

01/03/2023 **WHAT DOES PUBLISHING MEAN TO US?**
introduce the act of publishing, to frame this project:(also bring down some of Maria's initial writing here which beautifully frames the ideas!) (yess!! i just tried to start from our last conversation but def!(yes also think its great to start this way! and we can draw on those to fill gaps? omg brain is not worrrrking!!! ))( noo, sounds good <3)

This funding application has a public. If you are eading this, you are part of its public. So first let me say: Welcome.

"The word public has many meanings. From the audience of a live concert to a group of people in a space. The publics that are created through publishing are somewhat different. These publics only exist by virtue of being addressed. They are publics of discours. They are self-creating and self-organized, and herein lies their power as well as their ellusive strangeness." does the public exist outside the text? or rather how do we go from a public to a community?

WT: ROTTING FRUITS (lol i dont know was just thinking about compost) (lol love it!) (love love love the idea of rotting fruit)
THINKING WITH

To gather, edit, design, print, bind, distribute; the gestures of publishing need a public.
Publications without a public are like bodies that don't move, a compost that doesn't get turned. With ROTTING FRUITS we are proposing to form a collective in Amsterdam to explore the afterlife of printed matter and the community surrounding it. ROTTING FRUITS looks at the act publishing as an act of composting and circulating stories and information. ROTTING FRUITS will investigate publishing as a social practice, where publications and communities become activated during public events.

What we will do:
* defining the publics
* defining the spaces of connection (of experimental, independent, artist led publishing?)
* Outcomes: digital archive (active website) / collaborations, events, workshops / printed matter - publishing outcomes of workshops

(Keeping coming back to 'thinking with' - how the act of publishing is an invitation and how engaging is an act of thinking with eachother and the materials. )
(i love! thats also a great title )

Fiiiiieeeeld Trip <3
7.3. Hannah available
11.3.
15.3.
22.3.Hannah available, Maria available

https://www.compostlibrary.com

https://piereligion.org/harvestsongs.html

https://www.ndbooks.com/book/the-albertine-workout/ by Anne Carson
I think interesting as an example of a harvest. It is a poem made out of information that is essentially "harvested" from another literary work (in this case Proest).

working out the surroundings, the publications displayed
working with what is there

harvesting from what is there

reading together (Albertine Workout)
harvest
putting stuff together
re-telling of findings, possible to draw from multiple texts, or 1 publication, choosing a thread

creating a new story of what is in the read

"reading the room"

length: 2,5 hours

30 introduction
30 going through stuff, searching
30 writing moment, retelling / printing
30 sharing writing moment
30 putting it together, monstrous retelling lol

date 26/05/2023
time 11:00-13:30 a.m.

what we need;
- name
- invitations (visual + lil description)
- copies of albertine workout
- the long-armed paper clippy things / rings (or we do a fold) ::: then we also need some folding bones
- paper (printer paper of else?)
- script a la albertine

bodies of work

what do we want:
- collective publication ****

****

7. to be the one volume of the novel that a time-pressed reader may safely and entirely skip.
29. Perhaps he is. At this point, parenthetically, if we had time, which we don’t,