Sorted Books | Nina Katchadourian | The Art Assignment

Pre-order our book YOU ARE AN ARTIST (which includes new assignments!) here: bit.ly/2kplj2h
We meet Brooklyn-based artist Nina Katchadourian in Lawrence, Kansas, at the former home of American writer William S. Burroughs (1914 - 1997). Nina takes us on her journey of sorting Burroughs's book collection and challenges you to sort some books yourself!
INSTRUCTIONS - Sorted Books
1. Choose a person you know or would like to know better
2. Take a look at/through their library
3. Make 3 stacks of books to develop a portrait of the person
4. Upload it to your social media platform of choice using #theartassignment
5. Fame and glory (your work might be featured in a future episode)
Find out more about The Art Assignment and how to submit your response: theartassignment.com/

[@BellatrixisaStar]

"Everyone's favorite comedian Michel Foucault" I think I laughed a bit too loud when I heard that.

[@theartassignment]

Wasn't sure how that was going to go over. Glad you liked it ;)

[@AmbroseReed]

God, some of these sorted book poems are amazing. "How we die chicken on the brink in darkness waiting" That is gorgeous!

[@allisonholley2751]

Christian Marclay was mentioned! I recently saw part of The Clock, which is a film he made that runs 24 hours, with each minute lining up to a time in various movies all cut together. It's absolutely fascinating.

[@kathrayres]

What I might try and do is create a caricature of different sections of my university library by stacking multiple narratives from several different sections as well as a general stack that encompasses the character of the collection. I think it's interesting what libraries collect, since their contents are reflections of the people who curate them over the years.

[@davidshi451]

That's so true, every library is different...

[@nadiact-ie5hy]

I really want Sarah and John to do this for each other (Hank and Katherine too).

[@davidshi451]

That reminds me, I don't think we've seen Hank do The Art Assignment!

[@orangeskarmory]

Well, it's happening tomorrow on a live stream if you are still interested! Sarah and John at least lol

[@sherrysung8334]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGjFc4F3nb6bbdk

[@doorrraaaa]

if only this assignement was out one month ago, we had clean my grandparent´s intire book colection from their house once they have died some time ago... Trough it was really a way to know they better, lots of weird books i never thought they would be interested. I discovered so many books about hypnotism and OFOs!

[@doorrraaaa]

UFOs*

[@theartassignment]

That's the first thing I thought of with this assignment as well. I would have loved to have done this with any of my grandparents' book collection.

[@NathanAndRose]

Rose and I live in Lawrence! The Burroughs house is really cool. I wish we knew this was going on so we could have met Nina while she was in town! I'll have to talk with her more in depth about her experience with Burroughs's collection. I would be fascinated to hear what she has to say about what she learned. He was such an interesting man, especially when he lived here near the end of his life. And Rose and I will definitely be doing this assignment with each other's libraries! -Nathan

[@StudioLindsay]

Oh yes! I want to do this! :D This Art Assignment is perfect for the BookTube Community!

[@davidshi451]

I had no idea there even was a BookTube community!

[@megmotherwort]

I'm looking at you, Nancy's Reads

[@fancynancyketchup]

Meg Gilbert hahaha!! I might just!!

[@megmotherwort]

Nancy's Reads When do you move to Nor Cal? Maybe we can meet up and do this art assignment on each other's book collection!

[@megmotherwort]

(PS - all my books are about psychology or Buddhism or Buddhist psychology... there are some good titles in there!)

[@patriciaschulz6253]

"Everyone's favorite comedian Michel Foucault" made me laugh out loud.

[@busvlogger]

I've finally done my first assignment! I have three other video projects pending that I should edit first, but I'm too excited about my book clusters! Can't wait for you to see them!

[@davidshi451]

So, not only can literature be art, but art can be literature too!

[@ARTiculations]

I guess that answers my question lol

[@AndreaMGC]

This is probably my favourite Art Assignment video yet. Such a fantastic idea!!!

[@amys3168]

I love her work! Great video, thanks!

[@waterharp]

I think its so amazing the art assignment replies to all their comments!

[@Chandlerbeanable]

This is one of my favorite art assignments yet.

[@Lintukoko]

This is an amazing art assignment! What a great idea. You can also create straight up poetry with very cool fonts-you can be sure the things you would say loudly are big or bold etc!

[@plantycassy]

I’ve already completed one. I LOVE this assignment. I’m just having so much fun with it

[@DavidTheriaultTeacher]

Thank you so much for making these. My three English classes just completed the Fake Flyer and loved it. I can't wait to try this one out with them.

[@davidshi451]

Oh man oh man oh man… the smell of old books. As Faber from Fahrenheit 451 said, they smell almost like spices of nutmeg. Even though the odor is usually just mold or mites :)

[@cowgirlcurtis]

ah! i love nina katchadourian's work! this one makes me particularly excited. :)

[@sophblueberry]

I love how she articulated what art was to her!

[@elmo2488]

Haven't watched this in a while and glad I checked this video out. Interesting ideas

[@jessherselfable]

I'm so excited! I've actually seen her Flemish bathroom portraits before! This is the first time I've recognized an Art Assignment artist's work before! :) I also really dig this assignment.

[@theyxaj]

I'm really excited to do this Art Assignment! Since I'm on a college campus, I hope I can look at the concentrated collections of readers and have fun with their books.

[@erinfiles5862]

This is a fantastic assignment! I can't wait to get started!

[@EasterWitch]

I really liked Nina's definition of art.

[@gcsilmoldor]

Oh, this I can do....just have to wait until I get my hands on their books...gives me time to plan. :)

[@TylerMayMedia]

I think this is the most interesting assignment. It will definitely be great to see what people come up with.

[@davidshi451]

There's so much in this episode, that it warrants a second viewing...and a third, and fourth viewing...

[@BrianHutzellMusic]

3:53 I love the cut-up technique, and have used it in quite a bit of my recent songwriting. David Bowie was also a fan. He wrote the lyrics for both “Heroes” and “Life on Mars” this way.

[@NeilSonOfNorbert]

i just recently had a thought, you could theoretically use anything with a title on the spine, like CDs or DVDs or even audiobook(of which I have a tonne).

[@Grayhome]

Question for Sarah: How do you choose how to contextualize these assignments? The comparison between the current assignment and art movements/ artists from the past is always so spot on, and probably affects the work of those who submit to TAA.

[@theartassignment]

I always talk about it with the artists when I interview them, but then I just mull on it for a while and do some reading. Sometimes I have something in mind from the start, and sometimes I get STUCK. But it's one of my favorite things about making this show--I love drawing from my formal and informal education, and also continuing it by learning about new things however I can. Artists always give me the best ideas, though.

[@timbrown1446]

The Art Assignment The Art Assignment has added a wonderful source that makes current artist's vision and assignments open a path to other artist's work, some whose work was unknown to me. My adult daughter and I have had wonderful conversations about art, we create art together and are exposing my grandchildren to the making of grandma/daughter/grandchildren art together. Thank you! I look forward to every video.

[@marysrinivas913]

This one is going to be fun!

[@RockTheMatYoga]

"Everybody's favourite comedian" - LOL!!!

[@duckpondwithoutducks]

Definitely want to do this one!

[@puupipo]

One thing that makes this assignment really cool (and wasn't discussed in the video) is that there is a large but finite number of different books in the world and it is probable that some books will appear multiple times within the stacks of books people sort for this assignment. But which ones? That's an interesting question, because it's not all about the popularity of the book. You also have to consider the title, the author (my guess is that John Green might appear more than once - or twice ;)), the size of the book, the design and typography of the book's spine, when it was published, where it was published, the number of copies...

[@ragnkja]

Joonas Puuppo How visible the title is on the spine definitely plays a role in which titles "stand out" when going through the books.

[@EkimberleyA]

I think this may be the first art assignment that I take part in... although I think I'm going to do a self portrait (I just moved so I have to sort my books anyway, because they are still in boxes) and it's a really appealing project to me

[@AlphaSerif]

Must not say, "in your pants." Must not say, "in your pants." Must not say, "in your pants." ...

[@davidshi451]

Oh, you do us proud, AlphaSerif. Do us proud. :)

[@lorenabpv]

AlphaSerif i know the feeling

[@dillmatt]

That cat with the deep meow is hilarious

[@scabiniful]

aw man! I just helped a friend sort through and donate all her books a week ago. if only I had known about this assignment earlier. ):

[@paulidin]

Oh, gosh, I would really like to do this one! I'll have to start asking people if I can access their libraries (and interview them)!

[@TwinkTwinkle]

'What is art? Close observation' (in your pants). It's too good to not point out.

[@onlyisai]

So this question doesn't pertain to exactly this video, but at the end of each video who guys give a brief explanation of the assignment and you play this nice little tune & I LOVE IT! lol. What is it?? :)

[@stevennewlin8640]

What a fun idea.

[@123blueapple]

It would be really interesting to see Sarah and Johns interpretation of the assignments. Maybe get Henry involved too!

[@janathecookie]

Oh, I would love to do this with my dad's library (which is 95 percent science fiction so it might be interesting to see how that could relate back to his life)! Why did this assignment have to come up now though? I just moved away and won't be back there for a year... :(

[@theartassignment]

There is no due date on these! Please keep this in your back pocket for whenever it is you're back around your dad's books.

[@ragnkja]

Must it be the library of an individual? You see, I work at a library. I also just had an idea: Could this be an interesting way of exhibiting books? (A downside of it is that people might feel that borrowing a book from it may take away from the exhibit.)

[@davidshi451]

You know, libraries themselves all have their own characteristics and personalities, that might be interesting to see…Or even stacking just books that have been recently returned by people! For a book display, showing a photo of the stack alongside it might be helpful.

[@ragnkja]

David Shi The photo idea is a good one! Sticking to the carts of recently returned books would be an interesting challenge, but in those cases it'll have to be in Norwegian, since the vast majority of books we lend are in Norwegian. I'll probably also want to make a few stacks entirely from books in English to share online. =)

[@ragnkja]

David Shi As a way of exhibiting books, this is sort of related to something we've previously done, which is selecting books entirely based on words in their titles, like "snow", "ice" and "rain". The books that ended up on display then were quite an eclectic collection. =)

[@theartassignment]

Completely up to you! If you are excited about an idea, I think you should definitely follow it.

[@avedic]

I work in a used bookstore, and will often shelve books next to each other to tell a story/make a comment. For instance...we had a Trump bio. Shelved under S - T in bios. Well, in the S - T shelves there were also books titled: Fairy Tale Interrupted, Turning White, Confessions of a Sociopath, Little Failure, American Warlord, Against All Hope, Crazy for God. And so I shelved those books to the left and right of Trump's book. Just a tiny way for me to fuck with people and have a little fun. Kinda crazy though how those titles happened to conveniently be in the same section as the Trump book. It was like the universe was begging for me to make the connection. ;P

[@sofivear]

This is so cool !!! :D

[@yugiohsc]

I used to do this in elementary school! :)

[@sourisdebibliotheque]

I wish someone would like to do this in my library!

[@maellestbelle]

I was wondering if there is going to be a third one..

[@PsychoticBambi]

I really like the art assignment, but it would be nice to have a few of the assignments be from other kinds of artists, not just fine art. As an illustrator myself, it's disheartening that when people talk about Art, they usually only discuss the type to be found on traditional museums or modern art galleries - art that is used for distinct purposes is so often looked down upon as not being as deep or meaningful as fine art, despite the fact that ot requires just as much skill, patience and devotion. I would love to have a product design assignment that asks you to dedign and make a simple object that you have always wanted, an illustration assignment that encompasses your life thus far in a singal image, a textiles assignment that encourages you to design and sew a quilt made up of all of the hobbies which you partake in. I dunno, I just love the practical arts and would love to see more videos about them c:

[@theartassignment]

An assignment with an illustrator is in the works, and I'll certainly think about approaching designers as well. We're only 13 assignments in, and there are so many possibilities with this project. Thanks for your input, and I'll continue to try to broaden the scope!

[@davidshi451]

Would you say that there's much of a distinction from art and graphic design? From what I learned in school, graphic design is supposed to convey one message to many people, while art usually directs many messages to different people. What do you think?

[@yesknopemaybe]

I really like those suggestions. The rug assignment was a little like the quilt idea and it was one of my favorite assignments so far.

[@davidshi451]

Speaking of archives, Mike Rugnetta is right--we really do need a better archive of the Internet, in the hands of scholars, not just companies. Think of the famous diary of Samuel Pepys, whose diary is one of the most important primary sources of his time period: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys

[@Ariel-ps8je]

I woud love to do this with john and sarah's library

[@ThePixielights]

I Love the art assignment, and the music at the opening and end of the video is just adorable!!! Is there any chance we will be able to download the music at some point?

[@davidshi451]

I second this.

[@solotraveljournal.]

I think I am going to do it as my first art assignment! Still thinking......

[@davidshi451]

Go for it! Remember, there are no due dates :)

[@solotraveljournal.]

Thanks for letting me know!! Will do it!

[@MercenaryPen]

Would be very interesting to see John and Sarah take this assignment on themselves...

[@SilentPoet666]

I live in Lawrence!

[@theartassignment]

Lawrence was awesome! We had a really good time there.

[@AbhijeetBorkar]

How can someone tell from the first shot that it's not Brooklyn?

[@theartassignment]

Haha. I thought that, too! I was imagining the camera zoomed out a bit more, showing the pretty sizable yard surrounding me. There are certainly many residential areas of Brooklyn, so touché!

[@AbhijeetBorkar]

The Art Assignment My confusion comes from the fact that I've never visited the USofA. :)

[@theartassignment]

Oh, hah :) Brooklyn is much more dense than Lawrence, Kansas. Sorry to make assumptions. I am very glad you are watching from wherever you are!

[@AbhijeetBorkar]

That makes sense now! Thank you for clarification & Greetings from Germany :)

[@CandleAshes]

The Art Assignment That house looks straight out of Ditmas Park.

[@idatrobs8322]

I'm from Germany so I pobably will only find german books (which makes this really clever title thing a bit less cool for anyone who does not speak german)...should I do this Art Assignment anyway?

[@eirikkolstad813]

Porn

[@ljmastertroll]

This is very cool. I fear I might end up stacking cat books though.

[@laurenberend8797]

Will there be any highlights from this video?

[@theartassignment]

Yes, planning on it later in February!

[@avedic]

lol...I do this all the time. I work in a used bookstore, and will often shelve books next to each other to tell a story/make a comment. For instance...we had a Trump bio. Shelved under S - T in bios. Well, in the S - T shelves there were also books titled: Fairy Tale Interrupted, Turning White, Confessions of a Sociopath, Little Failure, American Warlord, Against All Hope, Crazy for God. And so I shelved those books to the left and right of Trump's book. Just a tiny way for me to fuck with people and have a little fun. Kinda crazy though how those titles happened to conveniently be in the same section as the Trump book. It was like the universe was begging for me to make the connection. ;P

[@livinggreen7630]

I would love to buy your book but I don't know how much that costs in naira and for delivering to Nigeria?

[@DearestClaudio]

I didn't have enough books to make three stacks, so i just made one.

[@bes538]

There are a lot of these if you browse the #bookspinepoem tag on instagram :)

[@sabineceotto3677]

"Everyone's favourite comedian, Michel Foucault". Were you making fun of the fact that Michel Foucault's awfully depressing ? Or did I hear it wrong ?

[@theartassignment]

Yep, it was a joke.

[@HollyAnn555]

Just a comment - I found the background music made it difficult to hear what the artist was saying in this video.

[@davidshi451]

Fair point. Videos are just as much auditory experiences as they are visual.

[@KatieRose1147]

John, if you're reading this…did you just…meow?

[@trayseekay]

Those are some pretty realistic Cat noises. Impressive :)

[@davidshi451]

Meow indeed.

[@patriciaoppenheim5965]

Where do I upload my art assignment if I don't have an instagram account?

[@theartassignment]

If not Instagram, then Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, or KZbin--just be sure to use #theartassignment or we won't find it.

[@ARTiculations]

Hmm I have a person in mind who's library I want to do. But he only reads e-books lol. I guess it would be pretty hard to stack those.

[@davidshi451]

You could imagine what his stack would look like, perhaps?

[@nadiact-ie5hy]

Maybe draw what you imagine the books to look like or go online and find pictures of them.

[@ARTiculations]

nadiact1000 David Shi good idea!

[@Readera]

Go to a bookstore and stack them up!

[@Xenolilly]

Another one that requires interaction with other people. Noooo. Just kidding. I am determined to complete all of them at some point. Someone somewhere, but not too far, will do the meet in the middle with me. Someday, I'll spend long enough time in public to do the stakeout and maybe just maybe this one can get done too.

[@davidshi451]

Take your time, we'll be listening when you're ready. The interaction that is required can be really interesting, and perhaps even healing: www.bbc.com/news/health-21900202

[@levanoa]

From the people I know only I have an English book collection, I live in Georgia and everyone has Georgian books and it'll be hard to translate the meaning of every title in English so my subscribers/followers can understand.

[@davidshi451]

Sounds like a bit of a challenge… but it should be worth it!

[@janathecookie]

Or just do your own library. It says "a person you know or would like to get to know better". That could be you. :)

[@TheBenDrake]

you had one job, KATCHADOURIAN.

[@SarahPiperNZ]

So glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.

[@TheBenDrake]

i didn't see any other comments on it when i clicked on the video, so i felt obliged to make the comment.

[@i3vaT0o]

Yesss I was looking for this

[@vartebedk]

Nina Katchadourian isn't even in charge of the door!

[@livinggreen7630]

Or is there an eBook? I actually prefer physical books over eBooks.

[@marcnathanielr.agcaoili6781]

SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING THE DOOR.

[@nolanthiessen1073]

DFTBA

[@shantideruyter4964]

Say hello to Sam and Dean for me.

[@crashkidd34]

yeah. no.