Fabian Oefner pushes coffee table books to the limit with the ‘Bialetti book’
Coffee table books, simple books meant to decorate your coffee table and for guests to flip through, but can they be more than that? Fabian Oefner sure believes so, he has pushed coffee table books to a new level of meta. Pushing it even further than Kramer did in the sitcom Seinfield where he published a coffee table book about coffee tables that also turned into a mini coffee table.
For Fabian, however, it’s not about making a gimmick type of book but actually making art. The book is titled the ‘Bialetti book’ and each page contains a slice of the popular Bialetti Moka pot, the traditional Italian espresso pot. This work is part of his series ‘spatial books’ which also explore the transformation of three-dimensional objects into two-dimensions. By dissecting these objects and casting them in resin we get a much deeper understanding of what goes on inside these items of popular culture.
Inspired by science Fabian Oefner’s process is very methodical, requiring planning for every tiny detail of the work. The ‘bialetti book’ is no different, first, he fills the pot with coffee, then he places it in a box to cast it in resin before carefully slicing it into sections. The end result is an 11-page coffee table book that weighs more than 25 pounds. You can view the process on his Instagram below.
Sources: https://www.designboom.com
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Images © Fabian Oefner