Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Electronic Book with Bonus Hardback, 15 Aug 2005
This isn't a publication with a free disc but an electronic book (DVD-Rom) with a bonus hardback to accompany it. The paper text is pretty much what you might expect from an art book: glossy colour reproductions, a few short essays to introduce Cornell and some brief commentaries on selected works or themes to his work. As such it is a little disappointing, or, at least, nothing very special. The electronic book is the opposite. Packed with much more information than you initially expect, it contains similar introductory material to the book but expands upon the work massively by allowing you to browse Cornell's materials, listen to a wide range of interviews (with experts, curators, gallery owners and friends), take close-up (magnified) views of his box constructions, and, most significantly, it enables movement between these functions with the click of a button. So, although the disc can be navigated by consistently returning to the main screen and attempting to process the information in a fairly linear manner, its real value is that the information relevant to any one work of art, or any particular theme, can be cross-referenced with ease - leading onto new discoveries or areas of interest. For example, having chosen a particular box construction that is of interest you will be able to look at the details in close up (and perhaps also from a number of angles), watch a short film (if there are any moving parts to be displayed), read specific information about the work of art itself, access selected interviews that relate to this work, look at the source materials used in its construction and investigate other works linked by theme, material or subject. In a deliberate attempt to mimic the revealing intricacies of Cornell's best work the electronic book likewise expands outwards from an initial interest to offer new perceptions and perspectives - using modern technology to make lateral connections in keeping with the artwork it displays. The whole package is lovingly put together with an eye for detail (e.g. thoughtfully providing written transcriptions of the interviews on-screen so that as they progress their content can be read as well as heard), and it successfully catalogues Cornell's work whilst also offering a range of insightful opinions and ideas about how he might be understood. In short, a detailed and worthy celebration of the centenary of Cornell's birth that is completely in tune with Cornell's sensibilities.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Library of Cornell information, 14 Aug 2007
Containing a large number of colour illustrations of Cornell's work (in full and close up) and photographs of his house and personal paraphenalia (family photos, pictures of his archives etc), this hardback really is superbly produced. Contributions are made from many Cornell experts on different aspects of his life and work - the book is divided into segments based on particular themes in his work (eg aviaries, Medici boxes etc) which make it very easy to navigate.
As if the book's wealth of information wasn't enough, the CD Rom provides an absolutely massive amount of information and an interactive connection to Cornell's work - I could be dipping into this for months and still find something new and exciting on a sub-sub segment. It is possible to view all of Cornell's major works, zoom in close and in some cases see them in motion. The disc also has Cornell's most well known films - including Rose Hobart, Angel plus another half-douzen or so and seemingly endless interviews with contemporary artists, film-makers, museum curators and archivists. I should also mention that if you (somehow!) fail to find the information you're looking for, both the book and CD have a huge number of bibliographic sources.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book, great disk, 1 Mar 2005
The book is an excellent introduction to Cornell's work. I bought the package expecting the book to be the larger part of what I was getting, but in fact the computer disk comes as much more than a bonus. The disk content is an elegant exposition of the artists work, and a joy to explore in itself. It was clearly produced by a team (or perhaps driven by an individual) whose love of the subject has driven the effort, rather than simply what was required as a commercial exercise. Do buy it.
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