ANTIN, Xavier (Parigi, 1981)Vanishing Workflows

Printed in Yokohama by Neutral Colors in Risograph

The work was based on an exhibition by French artist Xavier Antin at Hermes Singapore. A huge cloth printed with flowers distorted by video is suspended in the exhibition space. Two sculptures stand in a space divided by multiple pieces of cloth. One is a colourful bouquet of flowers in a vase, the other is a bitcoin mining machine. The machine starts at the same time every day and automatically mines bitcoins. Meanwhile, the flowers decay, unable to resist real time. The machine automatically places an order with a local florist using the funds it has acquired, and the dead flowers are exchanged for new ones that arrive.

The two silently operating cycles are visualised by designer Gideon in the form of a publication: the colours are printed distorted from the originals to accommodate the distortions that Xavier's work creates as it traverses media. The colours were selected from a limited range of colours owned by Temporary Press, avoiding the common CMYK. The four colours maintained for the purpose of reproducing reality were abandoned and different colour spaces were launched with the tools at hand. The date and time the image was taken and the bitcoin rate are given at the bottom. The transition of the dying flowers is not immediately understood by the re-arranged colours. In other words, this book is not an explanation or supplement to the exhibition, but is solely based on the material conditions and economy of the ‘book', which is as autonomous as the work itself, as a media-specific object.

The first edition was published by Temporary Press, Singapore. This unit consists of graphic designer Gideon and product designer Jamie. After interacting with them through the magazine NEUTRAL COLORS, the NC editorial team was asked to print the second edition, which they did in the form of a joint publication. Initially, the three colours were to be reproduced in similar colours, but after repeated tests, they arrived at the idea of using completely different colours.