Interview with John Holten of Broken Dimanche Press

If you are not yet already familiar with BDP it would be helpful to first acquaint yourself by reading an interview here with John Holten that took place at the beginning of this year.

(above photo: The Narrative Machine by Lorenzo Sandoval, Installation View)

First of all, I am sure everyone is curious about your recent trip in the Congo. I understand that you were there working with artist Richard Mosse, but will you be integrating anything from your experience there to BDP's program...material for a new novel perhaps? Is BDP moving in a less Eurocentric direction?

This had nothing to do with BDP although I first came in contact with Richard when one of his great videos was included in Kakofonie 003, which feels like a long time ago now (Shahid, an amazing video, challenging on so many levels). Richard has a great ability to push things forward, and thinks a lot about form and the possibilities of his art - something I like to think we share in common. Right now we are trying to do something innovative and new for his next book with Aperture to be published for his Venice Biennale show, The Enclave - which is shaping up to be an extremely strong work of art indeed. It's very exciting.

I had wanted to make a Kakofonie in the Congo. There are these great copy shops set up al fresco and I had a plan to put something together, but then we had to evacuate due to the outbreak of war. So yeah let's see. Though Europe is still certainly enough to be getting on with, in  a way by leaving it for a time, you realise perhaps how difficult it is, for so many reasons, to be something termed 'euro-centric.'

Wordpharmacy Installation View

In the first interview you said that your most ambitious goal for the year 2012 was to become "financially viable." Did you achieve your goal?

Obviously we didn't. If anybody out there wants to give us $20000 our email is editorkakofonie@googlemail.com and my personal phone number is 00491758978202

Looking back on the numerous projects you realized last year were there any particular projects that exceeded your expectations? Is there anything you would have done differently?

I like to think they all out did my expectations. Ambition is what you have to ride on, and it's when your hopes are overtaken by events that you know you're doing something right. In publishing at least, in other aspects of life this could of course lead to lots of things, including misery. Lorenzo Sandoval's The Narrative Machine, perhaps one of our must crazy publications to date, keeps growing and morphing. It also led to us being asked to leave our office, that wasn't expected, but you can't fight it. Regret is a terrible thing. The Readymades and the art group featured in it, The LGB Group, went all the way to The Armory Show in New York in March, that was fantastic. With Shane Anderson's book we made a beautiful, innovative edition on a shoestring and in digital print - again, something I didn't know if we could pull off or not. FUK Lab constantly come up with the design goods, they're geniuses really.

I'd have done a lot of things differently. Some books we did this year were hugely extravagant and costly, forcing me to put my own money places I knew there would be no gain - other than for printers and the tax man. I'd have applied for more grants; asked more wealthy people for patronage etc, tried to have more fun.

 
The LGB Group (The Readymades) in the Armory Show 2012

What's next?

Lots of things, but we're currently trying to figure out what. We have more editors which is cool and we're hopefully going to continue our collaboration with Otto Zoo Gallery in Milan after a successful presentation there in September. First off though is Lorenzo Sandoval's Office Party - an exhibition that'll be in two parts, first in gallery rosa.santos, Valencia, and then in April at the great Kinderhook & Caracas, Berlin. The accompanying book we're putting out will be stellar, no doubt. I'm working with a variety of people, including Hanne Lippard - very excited about that. Also a translation from the Norwegian by Jan Stale Ritland of his amazing somatic poetry. And I want to take BDP on tour next year. I want 2013 to be an avantgarde year of conversation and meeting. I want to get lost. 

 
BDP at Otto Zoo

BDP has been based in Berlin for about for years now (correct?): is Berlin the right place for BDP?

BDP exists wherever it's editors exist, which also suggest the Internet is a base - but physical space is necessary. Galleries, bookshops, studios - and bars (very important). Yeah, four years in Berlin. Crazy. More travel is needed. I'd like to take BDP to Dublin and do more there. But Berlin is great - there'll always be Berlin.