Joining creative forces. Material Turn is a book published jointly by Baumeister Jung, Supermarché, and …,staat. A project at the intersection of art, fashion, design and photography, the book presents a series of garments designed ad hoc by Melitta Baumeister and photographed by Paul Jung.

In the book, Baumeister’s clothes (which are made of singular materials like Tyvek, black velvet and PVC) are portrayed in a number of abstract situations. The resulting images, in combination with an editorial design that is fluid and free of constraints, lend themselves to interpretation and deceit: the reader is led to make assumptions on the materiality of the garments based on their reflectiveness, the acting of the model, and the size and positioning of the images.

Taking advantage of its subject matter, the publication is printed on various weights of the same paper. Pages with the thinnest paper are printed on one side only, resulting in a number of intermediate stages where the only visible thing is a phantasmagorical rendering of the images underneath the page.

The subject matter of the project is explored from every angle. In spite of its apparently simple execution, the book features a cover that is both embossed and debossed, depending on the reading direction of its text.

Material Turn is an exercise performed by Melitta Baumeister and Paul Jung. In it, the two visual practitioners solidify a moment in time: one by casting a volume-garment out of an otherwise fixed material, and the other by consolidating the act of wearing it. The book explores the relationships that exist between the two bodies, and the way touch and sight may alter the reader’s perception of an object’s qualities.

Foreword by Hanna Laura Kaljo, scattered
across the book in 5 inserts
Soft-bound with transparent plastic sleeve
24 × 32 cm. / 9.4 × 12.6 inches
Edition of 750