book select
by flotsam

Bookstore owner ISSUE 2 2024 AW

Near Okinawa Town in Daita-bashi, Tokyo, there is a bookstore that bustles with customers even on weekdays—flotsam books. “Most of our customers are photographers or students studying　photography,” says the owner, Takayuki Kobayashi, who first opened his online bookstore in 2010. Four years ago, he opened his physical store at its current location, which also serves as an exhibition space for his friend, photographer Yusuke Yamatani. “It started on a whim,” Kobayashi says. The store is filled with books and photo collections handpicked by Kobayashi, who says, “I like new things. I like things that haven’t been fully evaluated yet.” If you ask him about any of the books at the store you’ll receive a heartfelt explanation, and many fans visit just to enjoy such conversations. It’s easy to understand why Kobayashi says he “has always admired candy stores”—flotsam books is a down-to-earth, cozy bookstore without pretension. He has selected seven books related to this issue’s theme, “Obsession.”

The Waiting Game II　

Txema Salvans

A photo book by Spanish photographer Txema Salvans. As you turn the pages, the lives of people fishing along the Mediterranean coast will appear. “This series, ‘THE WAITING GAME,’ has three volumes in total. This book is the second one. Personally, I really like the first volume, which depicts prostitutes waiting for clients at the same locations. To avoid being noticed by his subjects, Salvans dressed as a surveyor while taking the photos. In this second volume, the focus on ‘fishing’ gives it a heartwarming feel, while the third volume captures nothing but ‘dogs waiting for their owners.’ His perspective is truly unique.

The Pillar 

Stephen Gill　

 “This series involves a static observation camera attached to a pole near the artist’s home, capturing the birds that come to the pole. But I think, rather than photographing the birds, he’s really just photographing the pole itself. It makes you wonder why he kept photographing this particular pole—it’s quite intriguing. The artist, Stephen Gill, has consistently produced experimental works. For instance, around the time when energy drinks were becoming popular worldwide, he added energy drinks to the photo developing solution. He’s also done work where he buried photographs in the ground and then dug them up again. His work is always fascinating.

Workbooks 1984 – 2024　

Nigel Shafra　

This is a collection of British photographer Nigel Shafran’s workbooks, spanning a period of 40 years from 1984 to 2024. “Shafran is currently gaining a lot of attention, having shot the Jil Sander’s 2019 Fall/Winter campaign. While 40 years is already an incredibly long period, what’s most striking is that similar sketchbook-like records are a rarity amongst artists today, as most of their work is done on computers. The creative process is iterated digitally, with only the final product presented for release. As a result, records like an artist’s idea book seldom exist. Shafran’s generation might be the last to leave behind such analog materials before everything goes fully digital, and this makes these workbooks even more valuable as reference material. You can really see what he was aiming for, and visually, they are incredibly stylish, making them fascinating to look at. Also, I personally love this London based publisher, LOOSE JOINTS.”

Parallel Encyclopedia 1 (Reprint)　

Batia Suter

“Amsterdam-based Swiss artist Batia Suter was in charge of the Jil Sander 2022 Fall/Winter campaign. This book is the result of taking research to the absolute extreme. Billing it as an encyclopedia, Suter has collected and reassembled images from all sorts of magazines and old books. The images she gathers are incredibly stylish. I think it’s truly impressive how she finds such high-precision images, and I’d love for art students to examine this work. She also researches all the sources and lists them at the end, which adds to the encyclopedia-like feel. This encyclopedia series has two volumes, and only this first volume was recently reprinted.”

Sleeping State of Being: Creatures of Night and Day　

Sara Skorgan Teigen　 

A collection of works by Norway-based visual artist Sara Skorgan Teigen, who has been compiling her sketchbooks over many years. “Her previous book was also a collection that resembled a reproduction of her sketchbook, and the way it was made is really interesting. The photos appear as if varnished and pasted onto the pages, faithfully recreating her original work. The artist treasures her personal sketchbooks, and I think she has mentioned that they serve as a bridge between her inner world and the outside world.”

La Lecture des Pierres　

Roger Caillois　

A photo book featuring the beautiful minerals collected by literary critic, sociologist, and philosopher Roger Caillois. “Caillois is known for writing Bellone ou La pente de la guerre, but he also collected minerals. In 2015, his collection was showcased in an exhibition at Maison Hermès. While a Japanese edition of the book was published, this French version is a particularly well-presented hardcover edition. The stones he collected are also fascinating. Many of the customers who visit my store are creators themselves, and they often seek out organic objects. They tend to avoid anything where intentionality is too obvious, so they’re drawn to things they could never make themselves, and such items are popular. Furthermore, the pure beauty of these minerals is deeply appealing.”

Bannkörbe　

Aladin Borioli 

“Bannkörbe,” meaning charm basket, refers to a unique beekeeping technique practiced in northern Germany from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Swiss artist Aladin Borioli created a photo book filled with beehives based on extensive research on beekeeping boxes. “The strange masks attached to the beehives are both creepy and cute, and some of them even resemble quirky mascots, making it fun to just look at them. I chose this work, thinking it could also be considered an obsession.”