John Gossage: pomodori a grappolo

pomodori a grappolo is a set of three interconnected books by photographer and bookmaker JOHN GOSSAGE. Each book gathers images made in Northern Italy and Sardinia between 2009 and 2011, and each includes a short text by Marlene Klein. The written pieces—two stories and one epilogue—have been created in response to Gossage’s pictures, and reflect the thirty years that Klein has spent living and working in Venice.

An unexpected approach runs through all the details of the books, from the way elements repeat—or don’t, to the choice of materials and color. Since these three books are each a different trim size but include photos that are reproduced at the exact same size, the collective project functions as a study of the way that ink on paper can inform perception. The resulting objects are classic Gossage—clever, unique, and engrossing. A limited edition of the books, held together with magnets in a “disorderly” way, further explores these concepts.