I Got Out of the Car; the Lighting Was Bright 我下了車光線明亮

The works of the artist Val Lee often combine various artistic techniques such as imagery, installations, theatrical arts, and spatial arrangement to immerse the audience in an experience that is neither a dream nor reality. This book, 𝘐 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, attempts to extend this ambiguity. It uses two essays by the artist as a foundation to expand the poetic elements within the text. It also combines elements like page layout, images, and excerpts from the artworks to construct a unique time and space for the reader.

 

This book is a hardcover edition, crafted on high-quality art paper in the UK, with a specific Pantone color print on the cover, emitting a distinctive greenish-blue hue. It employs three time-consuming processes: offset printing, embossing, and hot stamping, echoing the book’s intricate structural layers. The inner pages use different textures of paper and feature rounded corners to simulate a personal notebook’s private feel. It serves as both an artist’s portfolio, a poetry collection, and perhaps even a unique narrative experience created through the book as a spatial medium.

 

“At first, what Val Lee wanted to do the most was to gather participants at an abandoned banquet hall in the middle of the night. There, they would watch a black dragon-dance puppet twist and turn in the thick fog. Meanwhile, someone would ride a skateboard, drink some fruit juice.”

All photos by dmp editions