Gunnesch, Stefan: 26.928 (Schlaf) The artist’s book is dedicated to the theme of “sleep” and consists of two essays—a text essay and an image essay—each designed as an independent, saddle-stitched book.
The text section introduces the world of sleep: it explores sleep phases, dreams, insomnia, and the cultural and artistic significance of sleep. The text is accompanied by diagrams documenting the artist’s subjective perception of sleep over a period of six months. The German text appears at the beginning of the book, followed by the English translation at the end.
The image essay presents an associative compilation of illustrations, structured into seven chapters. These follow the different stages of sleep and mirror the temporal progression of a night. The first chapter is defined by a strictly organized image grid reminiscent of scientific publications; the subsequent chapters gradually dissolve this structure. The further one turns the pages—and the deeper the sleep becomes—the more vivid and surreal the image compositions appear.
The visual section also incorporates two authors who explore the theme of “sleep” from a literary perspective: Sigmund Freud is quoted with fragments from The Interpretation of Dreams, and two poems by Stéphane Mallarmé link poetry with the surreal nature of dreams.
The book is bound in textile materials reminiscent of pillows and bed linen. Soft and delicate, these fabrics develop folds and creases through handling—traces of touch that turn the book into a living object.
Enclosed with the book is a series of seven original prints (acetone transfer prints) depicting the artist during sleep. The prints are loosely inserted between the pages—thus, the book itself becomes a new bed for the artist.
The book’s title refers to the temporal dimension of sleep—it corresponds to the average duration of a night’s sleep, measured in seconds.
ger., en., fr., digital printing, acetone transfer printing, Thread-bound brochure, 136p, 9.1 x 12.4 inch, Ed. of 13, num., sign., Leipzig, 2025, Edition Bildschriftlich Request of availability backnext