Book making as an art form: exploring the boundaries

In this last episode of Season 1 of Book Making as an Art Form: exploring the boundaries, I sit down with Michaël Snitker, Amsterdam-based graphic designer working across books, visual identities, and exhibitions for cultural institutions.
Michaël’s practice blends clarity and complexity, modernist traditions and experimentation. Besides commissioned work, he initiates research projects and designs his own publications, often rooted in poetry and language.
In our conversation, we explore:
Growing up surrounded by art and poetry
Fluxus as a lasting and intuitive influence
Working across four pillars
Trust, collaboration, and play as foundations of creative practice

Inspired by the idea of tradition and sabotage, this episode reflects on bookmaking as a practice that balances rules with intuition, precision with imperfection, and legacy with experimentation.

Produced by Justina Nekrašaitė | The Book Photographer
Audio productions: Drexhage Media | Jasper Drexhage
Design: Thom Niessink
Recorded at Huis van het Boek

Supported by Mondriaan Fund, L. van Heek Textiles, Luminosity Lab, Marc Gijzen, n.k.g. publications, Jeremy Jansen, Jesse Presse, Jap Sam Books, Michaël Snitker

In this episode of Book making as an art form: exploring the boundaries, I sit down with Caleb Cain Marcus, creative director of Luminosity Lab, a Brooklyn-based design studio. He is known for making books that are not just objects but experiences.
Shaped by a childhood in the mountains of Colorado and a background in poetry, photography, and printing, Caleb shares his reflections on:
Looking and curiosity as a lifelong practice
Moving from poetry and photography into book design
Why does he produce his books in Europe
Cultural support, budgets, and the ecosystems around bookmaking
It’s a joyful conversation about attention, emotion, and the power of books.

Produced by Justina Nekrašaitė | The Book Photographer
Audio productions: Drexhage Media | Jasper Drexhage
Design: Thom Niessink
Recorded at Huis van het Boek

Supported by Mondriaan Fund, L. van Heek Textiles, Luminosity Lab, Marc Gijzen, nkg publications, Jeremy Jansen, Jesse Presse, Eleonoor Jap Sam

Croudfunding now: https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/20394-podcast-book-making-as-an-art-form

In this episode of Book Making as an Art Form: Exploring the Boundaries, I sit down with Eleonoor Jap Sam, founder of Jap Sam Books a publishing house where books are treated as slow, living objects.
With over two decades of experience, Eleonoor shares her reflections on:
• Curiosity as the heart of being
• The invisible care behind every book
• Sustainability, budgets, and creative freedom
• Balancing leadership, motherhood, and legacy

It's a gentle conversation about what it means to publish with care, stay generous in the process, and see each book as a carrier of knowledge, ideas, and inspiration.

Produced by Justina Nekrašaitė | The Book Photographer
Audio productions: Drexhage Media | Jasper Drexhage
Design: Thom Niessink
Recorded at Huis van het Boek

Supported by Mondriaan Fund, L. van Heek Textiles, Luminosity Lab, Marc Gijzen, nkg publications, Jeremy Jansen, Jesse Presse, Eleonoor Jap Sam

In this new chapter of Book Making as an Art Form: exploring the boundaries, we sit down with Jesse Muller, founder of Jesse Presse, to explore the invisible care that keeps the art book world alive.

Jesse is a distributor, editor, and writer who connects independent publishers with readers, bookshops, and museums across the Netherlands and Belgium.
With nearly 20 years of experience, she reflects on the in-between space of art and entrepreneurship.

This episode is a gentle deep dive into:
The beginning of Jesse Presse
The invisible labor of book distribution
Building artistic ecosystems through care and collaboration
The dance between artistic vision and commercial reality
New adventures and a new publishing house in town

Whether you work with books, live surrounded by them, or simply love the quiet power of printed matter, this episode offers a thoughtful pause and a new way to see the life of a book.

This podcast is made possible with the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund, L. van Heek Textiles BV, Marc Gijzen, Nina Glockner, Luminosity Lab and Jesse Presse.

Produced by Justina Nekrasaite l The Book Photographer
Audio productions by Drexhage Media |Jasper Drexhage
Graphic design Thom Niessink
Recorded at Huis van het Boek

In this season finale, before the summer break of Book Making as an Art Form, we sit down with Bruno Devos.
Bruno is publisher, cultural diplomat, and founder of Hopper & Fuchs to explore the poetic and practical realities of independent publishing.
With over 30 years of experience, Bruno shares his journey from working in a print shop to traveling the world with a suitcase full of artist books. This episode is a generous deep dive into:
Why is a book a home
The invisible labour of bookmaking
The blurred lines between publishing, curating, and care
How fashion and bookmaking unexpectedly overlap
The fragility (and urgency) of the art book ecosystem

Whether you're a maker, a reader, or simply curious about the lives of books beyond the page, this episode is worth listening to.

This podcast is made possible with the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund, L. van Heek Textiles BV, Marc Gijzen, and Luminosity Lab.