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a book that has a cd inside of it
Jeschke Jádi Auctions Berlin

Estimate €300 - €400
Sale commission
Description
Alpha-Presse Campert, Remco Albatros. The Compact Disc as a Design Element for a Coloured Surface: Artist’s Book / Press Print. Sulzbach, Alpha-Presse in collaboration with S’Art, 1999. - Featuring the poem ‘Musici’ by Remco Campert in the original Dutch version and a German translation. 4° artist’s book and object in a wooden case. One of 27 copies. – An exceptional artist’s book, consistently conceived as an object, situated at the intersection of contemporary book art, concrete colour design and bilingual poetry. The publication takes Remco Campert’s poem “Musici” as its starting point and transforms the literary text into a material, visually precise composition. Campert, one of the most influential Dutch writers and poets of the post-war period, appears here not merely as the author of a printed poem: his verses become an integral part of a total work of art in which typography, colour, reflection and the nature of the object interact on an equal footing. The Compact Disc forms the title and the design’s focal point. It is not to be understood as an accompanying audio or data medium, but as a visible material element that is actually integrated into the design. Its circular, metallically iridescent surface creates a distinctly technical accent within the coloured field and reacts to light, movement and the viewer’s angle of observation. Thus, the work’s appearance is constantly changing: The disc reflects its surroundings, creating shifting silvery and prismatic effects, and ensuring that the surface never appears entirely static. The compact disc is thus transformed from an industrially manufactured everyday object into a visual medium. It is precisely in this re-evaluation that the object’s special quality lies. In the late 1990s, the CD was an everyday medium for music, speech and digital data, whilst at the same time serving as a symbol of contemporary technology and visual modernity. ‘Albatros’ removes it from this functional context and places it within a tradition of experimental book and object art. The standardised mass-produced item becomes a singular design element; the smooth, reflective disc contrasts with the printed text and the calm expanse of colour. In this way, the work also explores the tension between reproducibility and uniqueness, between technical reproduction and an exclusive collector’s item. The bilingual presentation of “Musici” also opens up an additional aesthetic dimension. The Dutch original and the German translation stand side by side as distinct linguistic forms. The reader encounters not only the content of the poem, but also the differing visual rhythms of the two languages: word lengths, line patterns, sound and sentence structure all become part of the visual composition. The translation thus appears not merely as an aid to understanding the text, but as a second, independent textual space within the artistic concept. Published by Alpha Presse, in collaboration with S’Art, the book embodies the standards of a limited-edition bibliophile publication. The work is akin to a print edition in which the selection of text, paper, typesetting, colour and binding – or, indeed, the assembly of the object – are understood as inseparable parts of the artistic statement. Unlike a conventionally illustrated book, ‘Albatros’ does not use an image to accompany the text, but develops its visual language directly from material, colour and form. The CD functions, as it were, as an abstract visual symbol: simultaneously a circle, a mirror, a luminous object and a memento of digital culture. This publication is of particular interest to collections focusing on modern book art, experimental typography, Dutch literature, artists’ books, letterpress prints or the cultural history of digital storage media. Its appeal lies not least in the compelling combination of high literary quality and a clear, time-specific material that today also evokes a sense of nostalgia. Remco Campert (1929–2022) ranks among the most significant Dutch writers and poets of the post-war period. As a member of the influential experimental movement known as the Vijftigers, he developed an unmistakable style that combines clarity, wit, melancholy and a keen sense of the poetry of everyday life. His poems, prose, plays and journalistic works move with ease between light-heartedness and existential contemplation. In *Musici*, his poetry forms the literary counterpart to the interplay of reflection, colour and form. Remco Campert (1929–2022) is one of the most significant Dutch writers and poets of the post-war period. As a member of the influential experimental movement known as the Vijftigers, he developed a distinctive style that combines clarity, wit, melancholy and a keen sense of the poetry of everyday life. His poems, prose, plays and journalistic works move with ease between light-heartedness and existential reflection. In “Musici”, his poetry forms the literary counterpart to the interplay of reflection, colour and form. One of 27 copies. – An exceptional artist’s book, conceived consistently as an object, at the intersection of contemporary book art, abstract colour composition and bilingual poetry. Taking Remco Campert’s poem “Musici” as its point of departure, the publication transforms the literary text into a material form of great visual precision. Campert, one of the defining Dutch writers and poets of the post-war period, appears here not merely as the author of a printed poem: his verses become part of a total work of art in which typography, colour, reflection and objecthood operate on an equal footing. The compact disc forms both the title and the compositional centre of the work. It is not to be understood as a sealed sound or data carrier, but as a visible material element physically integrated into the design itself. Its circular, metallic, iridescent surface introduces a distinctly technological accent into the colour scheme and responds to light, movement and the viewer’s changing angle of vision. As a result, the work’s appearance is constantly shifting: the disc reflects its surroundings, produces shifting silvery and prismatic effects, and ensures that the surface never appears entirely static. The compact disc is thus transformed from an industrially manufactured utilitarian object into a pictorial medium. It is precisely this recontextualisation that constitutes the object’s distinctive quality. By the late 1990s, the CD had become an everyday medium for music, speech and digital data, whilst also serving as an emblem of technological contemporaneity and visual modernity. “Albatros” removes it from this functional context and places it within the tradition of experimental book and object art. The standardised, mass-produced item becomes a singular design element; the smooth, reflective disc contrasts with the printed text and the restrained field of colour. In doing so, the work also explores the tension between reproducibility and uniqueness, between technical replication and the exclusive collector’s item. The bilingual presentation of ‘Musici’ opens up an additional aesthetic dimension. The Dutch original and the German translation are placed side by side as autonomous linguistic forms. The reader encounters not only the content of the poem, but also the differing visual rhythms of the two languages: word lengths, line formations, sound and syntactic structure become elements of the visual composition. The translation therefore appears not merely as a means of making the text accessible, but as a second, independent textual field within the artistic concept. Published by Alpha Presse in collaboration with S’Art, the work embodies the ambition of a small, bibliophile edition. It belongs to the realm of fine press printing, in which the choice of text, paper, typography, colour and binding – or, in this case, the assembly of the object – are understood as inseparable components of the artistic statement. Unlike a conventionally illustrated book, “Albatros” does not use an image to accompany the text; rather, it develops its visual language directly from material, colour and form. The CD functions, as it were, as an abstract visual sign: at once a circle, a mirror, a body of light, and a mnemonic object of digital culture. Of particular interest to collections focusing on modern book art, experimental typography, Dutch literature, artists’ books, fine press editions, or the cultural history of digital storage media, the publication is distinguished above all by its compelling fusion of literary quality and a clear, period-specific material aesthetic—one that now carries a distinctly nostalgic resonance. Remco Campert (1929–2022) was one of the most important Dutch poets and writers of the post-war generation. Associated with the influential experimental movement of the Vijftigers, he developed a distinctive literary voice characterised by clarity, wit, melancholy and a keen sensitivity to the rhythms of everyday life. His work moves fluidly between poetry, prose, theatre and journalism; in *Musici*, his lyricism becomes the literary counterpart to the publication’s interplay of reflection, colour and form.
See original version (German)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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