Resource Utopia Book
Design Studio
16×22CM. 112 Pages
2018
The exhibition catalogue and book titled Resource Utopia-Utopie Als Quelle, co-designed by Burak Dikilitaş and Sevinj Yusifova, emerged from a collaborative workshop of the same name organized and funded by the Goethe-Institut Istanbul. Led and curated by Michael Biedowicz, Volkan Kızıltunç, and Andreas Rost, the workshop centered on long-term photography and video projects, culminating in an exhibition at Istanbul’s Elgiz Museum from November 14, 2018, to January 12, 2019. The accompanying publication features essays by Volkan Kızıltunç, Andreas Rost, Ezgi Bakçay, and Rafet Arslan, framing the visual works within broader discussions of utopia, dystopia, and speculative futures.
The design of the book employs a concise grid system and a monochromatic palette, juxtaposing stark black-and-white structural elements with full-color photographic content. This contrast serves as a visual metaphor for the tension between utopian ideals and dystopian realities—a core theme of the project. The layout’s disciplined geometry reflects the workshop’s emphasis on structured, long-term observation, while the printed photographs disrupt this order, suggesting the unpredictability of environmental and societal narratives. Uncoated cardstock was selected for its tactile, organic quality, further grounding the conceptual discourse in materiality, while the absence of printed text on the cover directs focus to the embossed title—a subtle yet assertive nod to the project’s speculative ethos.
PUBLISHER: NOKS Independent Art Space
COORDINATION: Goethe-Institut Istanbul
LANGUAGE: German & Turkish
TYPEFACE: Inter by Rasmus Andersson
PAPER: Munken Polar 120gr.
PRINTING AND BINDING: Print Center, İstanbul
PRINT RUN: 300
