Blick ins Buch
»While we work our fingers to the bone on the abstract questions of deeper meaning, we overlook the foreseeable and creative reality. «
The questions of everyday life seem commonplace, and »commonplace « becomes synonymous with »banal «. Yet the everyday is the time in which our life is spent! The form we lend to the everyday settles whether or not life succeeds. This is exactly where Awareness of Form begins:
With profound knowledge and in a commonly understandable manner, Frank Berzbach sheds a light on the form of restrictions and nourishment. He expounds the form of love and that of media usage, and he encourages to reflect upon the meaning of clothing and ownership. Awareness of Form is a loving plaidoyer for the intentional contact with oneself and others, with the media, food and things. It is a philosophical essay in clear language, an impulse for mindfulness and restriction. It gets you thinking, and it is a declaration of love to life!
After the sensational success of The Art of Creative Living Frank Berzbach dedicates his attention to everyday things, and he connects them. He gives them back their fundamental meaning and integrates them into a bigger context.
What is a healthy breakfast compared to »one more thing «. How trivial does an affectionate gesture towards our partner, neighbor, colleague seem to us in comparison with our meaningful goals? Whoever places importance on clothing is quickly labelled »superficial «, and »the tidy one « is deemed being too lazy to go search. Frank Berzbach gets to the bottom of phenomena, he thinks further and he questions. And something seemingly minuscule carries the chance of profound change towards a better, more intentional life.
Features and design
Awareness of Form was designed by Kathrin Schacke, who also laid out Living with Creativity and The Art of Creative Living. She already read Frank Berzbach’s texts during the editing stages. She moreover made mood boards in which a mix of materials from rough to smooth, organic to inorganic kept appearing. The rough, grey linen seemed to match Frank Berzbach’s clear analysis especially well. The marbled paper is an ideal contrast. We were aware that a linen cover bound in such a manner is going to fray a bit, and we think that it matches life and the everyday.
Just like with the other two books by Berzbach, we wanted to highlight especially strong sentences. However, we did not want to creatively repeat ourselves. Thus, the best sentences got their own pages this time.
The size of the three books is the same. This way, they gain a sense of solidarity like brother and sister while remaining individuals to the greatest possible degree.
Awareness of Form
Connecting Everyday Things
design: Katrin Schacke
4th edition
192 pages, bi-color print throughout in grey/ purple
size: 13.5 x 21 cm
thread-stitched mixed material flexcover with round spine of rough, grey linen, and cool and smooth marbled Invercote, with ribbon bookmark matching in color
