Thursday, 9:00pm
30 July 2009

In the house

At home with Marian Bantjes, subject of Eye 72’s Reputations interview

The summer issue, Eye 72, includes a Reputations interview with Marian Bantjes, with a portrait by photographer Andrew Querner (see opening spread, bottom). Here are some pictures that Andrew took of Marian’s studio, along with her captions.

Top: MB: ‘My house is small, with no basement or garage. The stash of cardboard and shipping material at left causes me no end of distress; this is also where I keep my posters. I desperately need paper drawers. This is also my display wall: I hang pieces I'm not tired of looking at before I file them; and on the right is a felted piece that Sara DiCarlo in Argentina sent me.’

Marian_01

Above: My studio has several working surfaces, which I set up with the intent to have 'stations' for different projects. Mayhem ensues. This is where I keep my inks, rulers, graph paper, and where i pile my unpaid bills. On the right, A photo of me and my mum; below it, my name pencilled by Doyald Young. In front, one of the very few original (crappy) windows left in the house.

EYE 72 cover 1000 pixels

Above: Cover of Eye 72, with a detail of custom type by Bantjes from a poster for the Yale symposium ‘Seduction: Form, Sensation and the Production of Architectural Desire’, 2007. Client: Michael Bierut / Pentagram and Yale School of Architecture. Bantjes says: ‘Michael’s client had asked for something “pretty” but in his instruction to me, he said “Don’t be afraid to make it a little bit sick.” Originally, the fine, pointed lines were like needles, piercing the type, but perhaps that was a little too sick. Although the letterforms – in retrospect – have things I’d like to change for balance, I like the forms more than any other lettering I’ve done.’ (From the captions to Reputations, Eye 72.)

Below: artwork of opening spread, pp.14-15.

015 EYE72

Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.