£55.00
The Book of Hours
By Frida Escobedo
Celebrated architect Frida Escobedo’s meditation on how light transforms and shapes the built environment.
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Perhaps as ubiquitous as smartphones today, the books of hours were a private necessity in Europe during the Middle Ages. These manuscripts contained collections of texts that were meaningful to each owner, as well as an organised method of structuring the day around prayer by marking the passing of the canonical hours. Although highly personalised, with intricate miniatures and illuminations, all books of hours contained sections to be recited at regular intervals throughout the twenty-four hours of the day. In them, the public and the private timescales converged, crystallised into a material, perdurable form not devoid of beauty.
The Book of Hours by Frida Escobedo is a modern exegesis of this extinct devotional practice: a project in which twenty-four objects were photographed at different intervals of time to capture their evolution, making a new calendar of matter and light. As humanity has transitioned to a secular understanding of time in which hours are organized and conceived in terms of productivity, The Book of Hours interrogates the place of contemplation in our era, its possibility and necessity. Through this book – a public display of a private collection of objects – readers are invited to contemplate these arrays of matter and experience the ways in which they once interacted with light, that burning needle in time’s template.
Featured in The Architect Newspaper’s Best Architecture-Related Books of 2023.
“There is artfulness in continuous attention to the objects around us, as illustrated by Frida Escobedo’s meditative tome.“
– The Architect’s Newspaper
Frida Escobedo (1979) established her eponymous architectural studio in Mexico City in 2006. She studied architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City before completing a master’s degree in art, design and the public domain at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Her studio’s reputation has achieved global scope since 2018, when she received the prestigious appointment to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens, becoming the youngest architect at the time to undertake this project. In 2022, she was appointed as the architect to design the new Modern & Contemporary Wing for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, becoming the youngest and first woman to design a building for the institution.
Lars Müller Publishers
Lars Müller Publishers, a renowned publishing house based in Zurich, Switzerland, has become a leading name in the world of architecture, design, photography, and contemporary art publications. Founded in 1983 by Lars Müller, a graphic designer with a deep passion for books, the publishing house is known for its carefully curated, visually compelling works that explore the intersections of art, design, and society.
Müller’s journey into publishing began with a desire to create books that were not only visually stunning but also deeply meaningful. Born in Oslo in 1955, Müller moved to Switzerland in 1963, where he trained as a graphic designer in Zurich. His early career took him to Amsterdam, where he worked alongside the legendary designer Wim Crouwel. Inspired by his mentor and influenced by his experiences, Müller founded his own studio, Integral Lars Müller, in 1982. A year later, he published his first book, marking the beginning of Lars Müller Publishers.
Since its inception, the publishing house has produced over 600 titles, reflecting Müller’s personal interests and his commitment to high-quality content. “I despise well-designed books with weak content,” Müller explains, emphasising his focus on books that combine strong visual elements with substantive, thought-provoking material. His dedication to both form and content has earned the publishing house international recognition.
Lars Müller Publishers is unique in its approach, acting as a ‘school of seeing’ by offering a curated selection of books that distill the overwhelming visual world around us. Müller’s triple role as publisher, editor, and designer allows him to shape each book from its initial concept to its final production, ensuring a cohesive and thoughtful presentation. This hands-on approach, coupled with Müller’s insistence on working closely with authors and artists, has helped establish the publishing house as a leader in independent publishing.
Despite the challenges of the book industry, Lars Müller Publishers has thrived by adhering to Müller’s guiding principles: producing books with enduring value, focusing on topics that personally interest him, and maintaining a small, independent operation. The publishing house is supported by the Swiss Federal Office for Culture, which recognises its contribution to Switzerland’s cultural landscape.
Müller’s impact extends beyond publishing. As an educator, he has taught at universities across Europe, the USA, and Japan, sharing his expertise and passion for design. His influence is also felt through his participation in academic and design juries, including his role as international president of the Alliance Graphique Internationale from 2013 to 2015.
Today, Lars Müller Publishers continues to push the boundaries of visual and intellectual publishing, presenting works that not only document historical developments but also engage with contemporary phenomena. Through its publications, the house remains dedicated to carrying Swiss culture out into the world while bringing global perspectives into Switzerland.
As the publishing house approaches its 44th anniversary in 2027, Müller reflects on the journey with a sense of pride and anticipation. “I look forward to celebrating the four decades of independent publishing,” he says, “and continuing to draw attention to the work we do, sharing it with a discerning and appreciative audience.“
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