ISSUEProcess Book

1

A LET TER FROM THE EDITOR

In working on Viv issue, I found the shifting format intrinsic to the nature of submissions and political discourse. While feminism is completely relevant, the word itself conjures a variety of connotations, many of old tropes that serve to debase genuine conversation. Through Viv issue, participants are capable of responding to content in a manner in which they choose the medium of their submission that is then published as-is. This diversity is celebrated through the changing format of each publication. These more vernacular forms are meant to encourage usage and conversation beyond the reaches of Viv—hopefully shared amongst friends or openly displayed.

As this project grows, without time constraints, the response-time should increase. Viv issue would ideally be a bi-monthly publication, and a volume edition of every issue’s (in a book, if you’re curious) submissions would appear annually. The fast turn-around created an unfortunate situation in which deadlines became less deadly, but the wait was always worth it. I will continue to encourage this project to be shared, and hope participation grows grassroots amongst those al-ready involved. For only having two issues, there’s a blessed amount of diversity as friends shared both nationally and internationally, guys and gals alike.

2

Cholla SansCholla SansCholla Sans

“The forms seemed classical as well. This combination could have a long life,

and be timely. I also saw - at least in the beginnings of Cholla - forms that connoted hybrid, of

inter-connection, of human and machine growing together.”

—Denise Gonzalez

Sibyle Hagmann of Emigre

in collaboration with

Denise Gonzalez-Crisp

and Carla Figueroa, 1998–99

Each weight of Cholla Sans provides a

slightly different flair to its details. It

embodies the unification and diversity

of Viv issue, with the right tinge of quirk.

3

4

THE ROOTS OF VIV ISSUE

This has been a semester of exploring concepts of perspectivism, that there is no one truth, but a series of varyingly valid perspectives. In a sense, I think Nietzsche’s concept of perspectivism relates well to graphic design: it requires an acknowledgement of subjectivity and culture yet ultimately relies upon the interpretations of the world to construct truth.

The first all-nighter of the semester came early. I stayed up during the second week of school to read JSTOR articles on the transition of second-wave feminism to third-wave feminism, and battled with acknowledging a variety of female perspectives without sounding trite or condescending. Considering as many perspectives as possible became a goal. Luckily this coincided with an interest in non-traditional print-based works. I became fascinated with Aspen Magazine, The Thing Quarterly, and Visionaire Magazine. To focus the non-traditional for-mat, I designated that each issue take a form that could further discourse beyond the receiving reader. I.E.: A scarf is visible on the wearer, pre-postaged postcards may be re-distributed, stickers can be slapped, posters hung on the wall, etc..

This need to balance a variety of perspectives and desire to change the nature of conversation around feminism led to having participants respond to a piece of content. Keeping the focus on one idea but allowing the complete freedom (besides deadlines) on submissions creates the beautiful, disharmonious, open conversation piece I had hoped for.

5

“The notion of culture which we would advance hinges on the

concept of production. We see cultural products and practices

in terms of the relations between their material conditions

of existence and their work as representations which produce

meanings. In other words, our concern is both with modes of

production and with modes of signification.”

— Michele Barrett et al

Ideology and Cultural Production

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way,

the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche

“Some academic and second-wave feminists argue that these

[third-wave personal] narratives are not ‘academic’ or ‘theoret-

ical’ enough or are solely grounded in the personal. … [They] do

not view the personal as academic enough, despite the feminist

mantra, ‘the personal is political’”

—Leslie L. Heywood The Women’s Movement Today:

An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism

21 October, 2014

Hello,Viv is inviting you to participate in a dynamic publication with the intention of creating a visual discourse on gender (inevitably touching on society and cultural norms). Viv is devoted to creating a physical forum. Provide us with your interpretation, and we’ll provide you with a free, multi-perspective promulgation.

Here’s the logistical gist:We mail you an envelope that contains this letter along with a piece of objective or subjective content.

You react, then respond in whatever visual manner you wish: movie, image (photograph, illustration, collage etc.) or any form of writing.

We then take your creation as is and configure it into a publication that will vary in form (poster, stickers, booklet etc.) and send this back to you, along with some new content for your consideration.

Sound good? Here are the details:See that date in the top right? That’s when we sent this off, and we’d like to keep the ball rolling. So, you finish reading this, and in two weeks, on 4 November, 2014, you share something. Scan it, photograph it, type it, record it, then send it to sendvivissue@gmail.com. If it’s a large file, we would recommend using WeTransfer.com. You’ll get a response confirming we received your contribution.

Along with your work, you can include any identifiers (name, age, location, gender, nationality, occupation, hometown, favorite movie, etc) that will be included in the issue.

As time goes on, we hope you share this with your friends, and feel free to invite them to participate too, you can copy this for anybody. In the long run, we intend to produce every issue in one bound book. We’re looking forward to fostering an ongoing conversation with you and fellow collaborators as this project grows!

Cheers,Viv

Each assigned piece of content and let ter were printed on a risograph, with a monochromatic theme to each issue.

Remember, your response may be written, video, or image-based.

sendvivissue@gmail.com

Please visit the following link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOppsQJtL2M

Rick Scott “Say Yes to the Candidate” Length: 1 minute

21 October, 2014

Hello,Viv is inviting you to participate in a dynamic publication with the intention of creating a visual discourse on gender (inevitably touching on society and cultural norms). Viv is devoted to creating a physical forum. Provide us with your interpretation, and we’ll provide you with a free, multi-perspective promulgation.

Here’s the logistical gist:We mail you an envelope that contains this letter along with a piece of objective or subjective content.

You react, then respond in whatever visual manner you wish: movie, image (photograph, illustration, collage etc.) or any form of writing.

We then take your creation as is and configure it into a publication that will vary in form (poster, stickers, booklet etc.) and send this back to you, along with some new content for your consideration.

Sound good? Here are the details:See that date in the top right? That’s when we sent this off, and we’d like to keep the ball rolling. So, you finish reading this, and in two weeks, on 4 November, 2014, you share something. Scan it, photograph it, type it, record it, then send it to sendvivissue@gmail.com. If it’s a large file, we would recommend using WeTransfer.com. You’ll get a response confirming we received your contribution.

Along with your work, you can include any identifiers (name, age, location, gender, nationality, occupation, hometown, favorite movie, etc) that will be included in the issue.

As time goes on, we hope you share this with your friends, and feel free to invite them to participate too, you can copy this for anybody. In the long run, we intend to produce every issue in one bound book. We’re looking forward to fostering an ongoing conversation with you and fellow collaborators as this project grows!

Cheers,Viv

8

9

10

A political campaign ad to re-elect Governor Rick Scot t (R) of Florida in which a young, female voter goes to buy a wedding dress with her friends

and ‘out-of-touch’ liberal mother. Luckily, she chooses the ‘Rick Scot t.’

11

7 November, 2014

Hello,Viv is inviting you to participate in a dynamic publication with the intention of creating a visual discourse on gender (inevitably touching on society and cultural norms). Viv is devoted to creating a physical forum. Provide us with your interpretation, and we’ll provide you with a free, multi-perspective promulgation.

Here’s the logistical gist:We mail you an envelope that contains this letter along with a piece of objective or subjective content.

You react, then respond in whatever visual manner you wish: movie, image (photograph, illustration, collage etc.) or any form of writing.

We then take your creation as is and configure it into a publication that will vary in form (poster, stickers, booklet etc.) and send this back to you, along with some new content for your consideration.

Sound good? Here are the details:See that date in the top right? That’s when we sent this off, and we’d like to keep the ball rolling. So, you finish reading this, and in two weeks, on 21 November, 2014, you share something. Scan it, photograph it, type it, record it, then send it to sendvivissue@gmail.com. If it’s a large file, we would recommend using WeTransfer.com. You’ll get a response confirming we received your contribution.

Along with your work, you can include any identifiers (name, age, location, gender, nationality, occupation, hometown, favorite movie, etc) that will be included in the issue.

As time goes on, we hope you share this with your friends, and feel free to invite them to participate too, you can copy this for anybody. In the long run, we intend to produce every issue in one bound book. We’re looking forward to fostering an ongoing conversation with you and fellow collaborators as this project grows!

Cheers,Viv

Remember, your response may be written, video, or image-based.

sendvivissue@gmail.com

“The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product. She is meant to imagine

herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself.”

― John Berger, Ways of Seeing

7 November, 2014

Hello,Viv is inviting you to participate in a dynamic publication with the intention of creating a visual discourse on gender (inevitably touching on society and cultural norms). Viv is devoted to creating a physical forum. Provide us with your interpretation, and we’ll provide you with a free, multi-perspective promulgation.

Here’s the logistical gist:We mail you an envelope that contains this letter along with a piece of objective or subjective content.

You react, then respond in whatever visual manner you wish: movie, image (photograph, illustration, collage etc.) or any form of writing.

We then take your creation as is and configure it into a publication that will vary in form (poster, stickers, booklet etc.) and send this back to you, along with some new content for your consideration.

Sound good? Here are the details:See that date in the top right? That’s when we sent this off, and we’d like to keep the ball rolling. So, you finish reading this, and in two weeks, on 21 November, 2014, you share something. Scan it, photograph it, type it, record it, then send it to sendvivissue@gmail.com. If it’s a large file, we would recommend using WeTransfer.com. You’ll get a response confirming we received your contribution.

Along with your work, you can include any identifiers (name, age, location, gender, nationality, occupation, hometown, favorite movie, etc) that will be included in the issue.

As time goes on, we hope you share this with your friends, and feel free to invite them to participate too, you can copy this for anybody. In the long run, we intend to produce every issue in one bound book. We’re looking forward to fostering an ongoing conversation with you and fellow collaborators as this project grows!

Cheers,Viv

14

VIV ISSUE 2

The second issue featured a more subjective piece of content, and I was blown away by the variety of responses. To the right is a submission from a girl in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico who created an intricate piece of papel picado. The places submissions went were well beyond the scope of my own interpretation, of Berger’s quote and in receiving them I changed from my initial concept of creating a grocery store-esque circular to postcards. Postcards met a space between an advertised mailer and something more intimate, something sent from a far away place, in this case the destination was a mindset. Each postcard is pre-postaged with the proper amount for an oversized (7” x 4.5”) piece of mail. Theoretically anything could be written on the back, but I would encourage some sort of commentary or response to what appears on the front.

15

VIV Issue 2 is a box-set of 8 pre-stamped postcards