Ex Libris Natalie Knight.
First Standard Edition, 2008.

By William Kentridge (b. 28 April 1955)

William Kentridge is one of the world's leading contemporary artists. His work spans charcoal drawings, prints, sculpture, opera and tapestry.

19.5cm x 26cm.

R4,000

This is Everyone Their Own Projector, a celebrated artist's book created by South African artist William Kentridge, published in 2008 by Valiz in Amsterdam as part of their Process series.

1. Conceptual Predecessor & Dadaist Slogan

The title Everyone Their Own Projector directly riffs on the famous 1919 Berlin Dadaist slogan "Jeder sein eigener Fussball" ("Everyone Their Own Football").

Kentridge uses the word "projector" in a double sense:

• Optical/Cinematic: The mechanical apparatus that throws moving shadow figures and illuminated imagery onto a screen.

• Psychological: The psychological mechanism of projection, where the viewer casts their own memories, associations, guilt, and desires onto ambiguous visual fragments.

2. Printed on Vintage Encyclopedias and Technical Manuals

A defining characteristic of Kentridge’s artist books is his use of vintage printed paper as a primary canvas:

• The background images in this book are drawn and printed directly over pages torn from old encyclopedias, technical manuals, dictionary entries, and engineering diagrams.

• By overlaying his stark black ink drawings, torn paper collages, and dynamic silhouettes onto 19th- and early 20th-century instructional typography, Kentridge creates a visual dialogue between Enlightenment rationality and the chaotic fluidity of human memory.

3. Connection to The Nose and the Metropolitan Opera

The imagery and thematic motifs inside Everyone Their Own Projector directly mirror the extensive preparation, storyboard design, and visual research Kentridge undertook for his acclaimed production of Dmitri Shostakovich’s satirical opera The Nose (based on Nikolai Gogol's short story). The opera premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2010, featuring the same constructivist typography, marching silhouettes, and absurdity showcased in this book.

4. Designed by Irma Boom

The physical format of the book was designed in close collaboration with the internationally renowned Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom (often called the "Queen of Books"):

• Boom helped translate Kentridge’s raw studio notebooks, flipbooks, and collage experiments into a tactile, bound artifact.

• The book features exposed binding elements, heavy paper stock, and precise reproduction of raw paste-up scraps, torn newsprint, and hand-stenciled lettering.

5. A Key Piece in Kentridge's Print & Book Catalog

While Kentridge is best known globally for his animated charcoal films (Drawings for Projection) and large-scale sculptures, his artist books hold a special place in his oeuvre. Everyone Their Own Projector stands out as one of his most accessible yet conceptually complete works on the mechanics of perception, film editing, and the art of drawing.