What inspired you to start publishing books?
My interest in art and photography books is not really about showcasing or documenting a piece of work. For me, the book format has to be integral to the concept of the work itself.
What draws you to the photobook as a format?
I am drawn to publications that function as mechanisms that actively activate the work they contain. For me, the publication should perform conceptual labour rather than exist as a purely decorative container. For example, my work Skirts consists of ten 10×12 typological images of everyday tables and their skirting. The series has been placed in some prestigious collections. The book was put in place to reconfigure how the work could continue to circulate. Each page is printed in duotone at the exact size and ratio of the original works, allowing the publication to operate as a vehicle for further ownership. The intention is that the reader can dismantle the book, frame each page, and in doing so produce their own Skirts artwork. In this way, the distinction between original and reproduction collapses. I have exhibited the ten pages in frames, and viewers cannot distinguish them from the original works. Another example is my zine 'Fun With Clare Strand Negatives ', which operates with an even tighter conceptual bind. By distributing my negatives as the pages of the publication, the work remains latent until activated by the owner. It can only be completed through interaction, either by printing or scanning the negatives to produce positives. In this sense, the reader becomes the producer, and the publication only resolves once it is enacted.
How has your practice changed over time?
As long as the cultural landscape keeps changing, so will my work.
What's a book you've been involved with that surprised you — either in how it came together or how it landed?
When my book 'Girl Plays with Snake' landed and a male reviewer suggested he could have done it better. 😂
What's next for you?
God knows!