Christian Marclay: Index

“Maybe it’s because I’m not a very good draftsman, collage feels like a more natural approach to sketching and developing ideas. I cut and paste and use my photocopier as a quick way to experiment and develop ideas. My work is all about finding, sampling, appropriating images and sounds, and transforming them. The found image is usually what triggers a thought process—formulating ideas or simply reaffirming latent thoughts. It’s a way to instantly mediate an image and get a little distance from it. Accidents are also often revealing. Like the camera, or any video editing software, the photocopier is just another tool.” – Christian Marclay

Marclay’s compilation of hundreds of high-contrast black-and-white Xeroxes are like scribblings in a notebook, the first stages of experimentation towards more finished works, a glimpse into the artist’s creative process. This book brings together the source material that has informed Marclay’s practice over the past few years. It was designed in collaboration with Laurent Benner, a graphic designer who has worked with Marclay on various other books and record covers. Their shared sensibility informs this beautiful new book.