Description:

Outside the Frame: Art and the Moving Image is a landmark publication documenting the evolution and impact of moving image art in Australia. Since 2009, Adelaide’s Samstag Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Adelaide Film Festival, and Melbourne’s ACMI have driven major commissioning programs. These initiatives have positioned the moving image at the forefront of both Australian and global creative practices. This book acts as both an archive for these significant commissions and as a platform for critical reflection on the artworks and the history of commissioning practices.

The book’s layout is designed to feel immersive, like watching a film. Employing a grid system that presents the works in a continuous sequence, shifting from page to page, to create a sense of movement. Conceptually, throughout the book, the design engages with the idea of frames – a motif also present on the cover. This deliberate disruption of the grid reflects the book's title and the nature of the commissions.

Typography plays a crucial role in the book's identity. Employing Cinetype – a font originally engineered for cinema subtitling machines – the font is notable for its absence of curves. To introduce each artist, the design takes a didactic approach by using the credits from each commission. While major, newly commissioned essays are distinguished by vibrant yellow pages, inspired by subtitle colours in films. The cover sees a prosaic choice of materials countered with bold typography. On the spine, a full list of the nineteen artists and their commissions are featured.

The book at 384 pages is a collaborative effort between Perimeter Editions, Samstag Museum of Art, the University of South Australia, and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Outside the Frame serves as both a comprehensive reference and a critical exploration of moving image art and its institutional frameworks.