Artists' Books

GRR30 : urban recordings by Ingo Giezendanner. by Charisma Christal

  

"Looking at cities can give a special pleasure, however, commonplace the sight may be." 

- Kevin Lynch 

 

Ingo Giezendanner's book GRR30: urban recordings captures exactly these pleasures in a vivid yet intricate way. Giezendanner, aka GRRRR, is a Zurich-based artist who illustrates the urban settings he transitions through. Be it during a short visit to see a friend in Karachi or a job commitment in New York, GRRRR successfully brings the backdrop of the city to the forefront of his work. Published by Passenger Books, "this is his thirtieth publication. It contains drawings from the years 1998 to 2006, which provide insight into Giezendanner's entire work for the first time."

During a talk at Conférence Archizoom, he expressed how these detailed illustrations are his way of getting to know a city and learning to navigate through it. His ink drawings take us on a journey of discovery right alongside him while the non-linear narrative of the book allows us to curate our own spatial experience with a flip of a page. 

His long hours of observing one place to document its urban space also allows him to slow down and take in different aspects of the city. He says this enabled him "to interact with people who are moving at the same pace." People such as shop owners, cleaners, or those experiencing homelessness spend hours in the same place, and our interactions with them are often brief and overlooked. However, GRRRR gives us an opportunity to slow our pace, observe, and appreciate the aspects of society that life expects us to rush past. 

As an international student, I relate to this work on a personal level. Moving to Vancouver was a new experience for me, and I worked hard to get to know the city and make it my own. My understanding of Vancouver is uniquely mine yet shares a larger narrative with every person who moves within it. The solidity of the buildings and the beauty of the mountains create a sense of peace in an often fast-paced city, which is precisely the sense GRR30: urban recordings fosters through its pages.

 :

​Works Cited 

Giezendanner, Ingo. GRR30: urban recordings. Zurich, Passenger Books, 2006.

“GRRRR: Metropolitan Drawing, Ingo Giezendanner, artist, Zurich.” YouTube, uploaded by Archizoom EPFL,                            28 October 2014,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxZgl6wTXc.

Additional Resources

Artist Website:

https://www.grrrr.net

Call Number:

Artist Book 0439

GRR30: Urban Recordings by Ingo Giezendanner