GLORIA Janie Cameron talks to Katie Kerr, one half of GLORIA Publishing, about books, Berlin and boy’s clubs
Hi Katie, tell us a bit about GLORIA and how it got started. GLORIA is a publishing collective focused on the publication of art and photography books. It’s run by photographer Alice Connew and myself (an Auckland-based graphic designer). Alice and I studied Graphic Design together at Ilam School of Fine Arts in Christchurch. The 2011 earthquake took our homes and sent us off on separate journeys to the opposite side of the world. I recently returned from five years in London and Alice has resided in Berlin for the past five years. Recently, we recognised that we were both interested in the full arch of bookmaking; creating content, editing, designing, producing and promoting the book. This nose-to-tail process is fairly unusual in the publishing industry, so we banded together to bring GLORIA to life. Due to algorithms, our ability to access unexpected digital content has become narrower. The bookstore becomes one of the few places where this is disrupted – where you can find content that wasn’t chosen for you by a computer. But of course, bookstores are under threat, as is publishing, and the industry has huge pressure to put books on shelves that the public will buy. GLORIA wasn’t launched to make money (it’s more likely to do the opposite), but we believe
it’s important to offer an alternative to commercially-led art and photography publications. What challenges have you and Alice faced as women in what is largely a maledominated industry? I asked Alice this question and she replied that the photography world is a “boy’s club”, and she has encountered a prominent ‘vibe’ since first expressing an interest in the art form. She says, “Men don't think I know how to use a camera, use the word 'cute' when I explain GLORIA and self-publishing my first book, or don't take me or my work seriously.” For me, I found the commercial side of graphic design in London had a imminent glass ceiling – an unwelcome hangover from the Mad Men era. One of the reasons I enjoy freelancing is to actively be a girlboss and allow myself the freedom to choose my clients. Currently I am collaborating with some amazing, empowered women where there is none of that bullsh*t. Tell us about GLORIA’s latest books. The first two books published by GLORIA explore our experiences as artists living abroad — albeit in slightly different formats. Alice’s Forty Three is a series of photographs taken during a freezing day in the middle
of Berlin’s worst winter in forty-three years. This particular day of work (January 2013) developed into a project about the displacement and loneliness endured when one moves to a new country. My project, Between Two Strangers, is a paperback that explores the correlation between migration and artistic practice. The book contains stories, essays and interviews from twelve artists and writers sourced internationally, each offering a distinct perspective on the challenges of migrating as an artist, and the consequent effect of relocation on their practice. What's next for GLORIA? Alongside the launch of these two books, there are several others in the pipeline which are in various stages of production – watch this space! As a ‘collective’ rather than a ‘company’, we are interested in forming a community of practice around self-publishing and utilising our platform to encourage the production of artist-made books. So I imagine there will be more cross-timeline Skype meetings, more hunting for content, more rounds of editing, more wrangling of risograph machines, more begging for beer – but it is always worth it to see a lovingly-crafted book in our hands at the end of the process. instagram: @gloria_books
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