Drawn, Cut and Layered: The Art of Werner Pfeiffer

Why produce an e-catalogue for an artist whose work is so intimately associated with paper and the physical properties of books? It is precisely because much of Werner Pfeiffer’s work is interactive, responsive to participation by the viewer, that the possibilities offered by an electronic medium were attractive. In addition to the traditional components of essay,  exhibition checklist, and images, here we can include video of Werner talking about and demonstrating his fascinating artist books, sculptures, and other art objects. We can also allow the reader to experience—through animated digital programs—the folding and unfolding of the flexagon forms that comprise his kinetic book Abracadabra and the intended rearrangement of the pages of ZiPo to form new poems. In some ways, a digital catalogue is a logical step for an artist whose art has long engaged with the transition from a print-oriented world to a digitally-oriented world.