A good book is like an oasis – a refreshing escape from the here and now, helping us to gain a new perspective on our everyday lives. Desperately needing a break from reality, I spent a few hours few hours flipping through pages at Matmon, a new book store and an event space (created as a collaboration between Teder, Bet Books, Dying Lake and Modus). Here are a few books you can find there, that made us feel hopeful, excited, inspired or just made us smile.
Matmon || Beit Romano, Tel Aviv
Slanted 43 – Ukraine (Slanted Publishers, 2024)
Slanted is a German magazine covering graphic design and visual culture, printed twice a year. The latest issue in dedicated to the creatives of Ukraine, with over 200 pages of art and design, many of them reflect the reality of the ongoing war, and also 20 interviews with designers and creatives.
Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now (By Judith Hecker. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2011)
A book drawn from a MoMa collection by the same name, featuring prints, posters, stencils and other artistic and graphic ways to express political and social messages. An interesting, often overlooked part of the history of modern art and design, and an inspiring reminder that resistance can take many forms.
“During the anti-apartheid struggle, poster production flourished in workshops, collectives, unions, youth organizations, and the alternative press; new term, ‘cultural worker’, emerged, to erase class and race divisions and to empathize collective work for the cause. One such early collective, Medu art ensemble, was formed in 1978, eight miles across the border, in Gaborone, Botswana, by South African exiles. A branch of the collective designed posters for distribution inside South Africa. (…) Medu’s influence in the South African poster movement was cemented in 1982, when the group organized the culture and resistance symposium and festival; thousands of cultural workers attend, many of whom subsequently began poster initiatives of their own” (page 14)
Ursus Wehrli is a Swiss comedian and artist who likes to sort things up by color, size or shape, and this talent / curse has made him a bestseller author. If you have a friend whose stand-up comedy doesn’t take off, suggest them an alternative career path as a very niche artist.
לפיכך נתכנסנו / Accordingly, We Are Here Assembled (By Yossi Sarid, Yediot Books, 2008)
The title talks about alternative history, but more then that, it’s an alternative look at history. Written by Yossi Sarid, a politician and former education minister, the book tells the story of Israel’s first 20 years via short stories. Each chapter is dedicated to a different year and is told from a different perspective, from a prime minister to a teacher or a child killed in a tragic event.
“I don’t miss the old days, not even my first year of teaching or 1953. It was not a good year, it was ominous. Today I have more time with my grandkids, we have conversations. They are still children, all 8 of them, and children don’t miss much because they don’t have a history yet. Together we reminisce what is yet to come, their future” (page 72)
An Illustrated History of Filmmaking (By Adam Allsuch Boardman. Nobrow, 2018)
A recommended short read, especially for film buffs. The main idea here is change – technologies and trends comes and goes, while creatives adapt and find their angle in every chapter. Also, really cute drawings.
“During post production, locations were chosen to communicate emotions through colours and lighting; the script was re-written according to the feelings evoked by the climate. In one instance, filming had to be delayed until the leaves of a forest turned a specific hue of yellow” (page 86)
Ancient Magic in Greece and Rome: A Hands-on Guide (By Philip Matyszak. Thames and Hudson, 2023)
The perfect gift for an inspiring witch or warlock, or a person simply interested in weird history. Rituals like talking to the dead or curse your enemies problay wouldn’t work for you, but other magical tricks are just considered science today, so apparently you use some sort of ancient magic every day!
“Magic is like most human activities: while some people are gifted with natural talent, and others are totally helpless, there is no one whose abilities cannot be cannot be improved by training and practice” (page 40)
The 80s: a look back at the tumultuous decade (edited by Tony Hendra, Christopher Cerf and Peter Elbling, Workman, 1979)
An incredibly weird book summering the biggest events of the Eightes, written in 1979. The sort of weird humor American comedians likes so much. Among the fictional events: an Arabic invasion of Europe, Ted Kennedy serve as president for 10 days only and meats becomes illegal.
“Dr. John C. Lilly was the first human to communicate with a dolphin and thus became a cause celebre of the ’80s. Playboy magazine immediately assigen him to do an interview for their March 1985 issue. The results were somewhat disappointing”. (page 51)
