Nov 27, 2014

Irma on Books

Irma Boom

About this video

Description

“A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic,” Carl Sagan memorably asserted, and nowhere is the physical making of a book more akin to the making of magic than in the work of Dutch book designer and artist Irma Boom. Here, Irma talks about the relevance of books, now and in the future. She explains how the rise of digital books represents immense opportunities for print traditionalists and how exploring the intrinsic characteristics of the printed book can result in a renaissance for the medium.

Irma Boom

Irma is an Amsterdam-based graphic designer specialized in making books. For 5 years she worked (editing and concept/design) on the 2136-page book SHV Think Book 1996-1896 commissioned by SHV Holdings. The Think Book was published in English and Chinese. Irma studied graphic design at the AKI Art Academy in Enschede. After graduation she worked for 5 years at the Dutch Government Publishing and Printing Office in The Hague. In 1991 she founded Irma Boom Office, which works nationally and internationally in both the cultural and commercial sectors. Commissions for the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Paul Fentener van Vlissingen (from 1990-2006), Inside Outside, The Museum of Modern Art, Fondazione Prada, Ferrari, Masserati, Vitra International, NAi Publishers, United Nations, OMA/Rem Koolhaas; Tate Modern; London; and Chanel. Since 1992 Boom has been a senior critic at Yale University in the US and gives lectures worldwide. She is the youngest ever laureate to receive the prestigious Gutenberg prize for her complete oeuvre. In 2014, she received the 2014 Johannes Vermeer Award, the Dutch state prize for the arts. Sponsored by The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.