Black Friday, check you later. You can keep your e-book readers and netbooks; we’ll take some counter-industrial, non-violent pop art. Say what? The 5 Year Plan is an art book of sorts, with contributions from artists like Yoko Ono and Francesco Clemente. It’s also an exercise in localized industry, traditional craftsmanship, and philanthropy, as proceeds from the handmade silkscreen books go to non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders. A preview after the jump.
The limited edition book contains 30 pages of silk-screened artwork on hand-loomed khadi cotton cloth, 65 of which are signed by contributing artists like Ono and Clemente in addition to Donald Baechler, Chris Martin and Julie Doucet, plus emerging artists like Tamara Gonzales, Tim Wehrle, and Pushpa Kumari. Each book is handmade at every step by local weavers, printers, and bookbinders in India — a thoughtful counterpoint to the mass-market consumer culture that reaches fever pitch around certain winter holidays.
Above, a video clip featuring founder Aaron Sinift, and below, some details on the fabrication.
Artwork by Pushpa Kumari.
Hit the 5 Year Plan pre-sale online and avoid the mall at all costs this weekend.