Musta Taide to produce photography books though crowd funding
02.10.2013
The publishing company Musta Taide specialising in photography books will begin producing photography books using crowd funding.
The first publication, See the Baltic Sea, will be a photography book on the Baltic Sea by photographers Lauri Rotko and Jukka Rapo. The funding for the work will be initiated on 1 October via the crowd funding service Mesenaatti.me, and the book should be completed on 4 December. Out of the revenue from the book, 20 per cent will be channelled to protecting the Baltic Sea. Musta Taide is part of Aalto University’s Aalto ARTS Books publication unit.
'Aalto University publishes mainly literature related to science and the arts that is intended to support teaching and research at the university. Other productions, such as books by Musta Taide, are self-financed. These publication activities are a significant part of cultural promotion performed by Aalto University that, despite its value, cannot be implemented through public funds. This is why we have opted for crowd funding as a new means to finance this project', explains Professor Merja Salo from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, who came up with the idea for the project.
The photographers of the book See the Baltic Sea have photographed the Baltic Sea for three years in the area of a total of nine countries. Rotko has photographed on sea shores and Rapo below the surface. The period convinced the photographers that the situation of the Baltic Sea needs to be taken seriously. They wish to use the book to support the protection of the Baltic Sea.
The photographic material by Rotko and Rapo will be used to compile a high-quality, four-colour, hard-cover photography book of approximately 200 pages. In addition to the photos, the work will also contain up-to-date information on the state of the Baltic Sea. Environmental values will also be realised in the implementation of the book. Environmentally-certified paper stock and vegetable oil-based inks will be used in the printing of the book. The book will be published in both Finnish and English.
Further information:
Hannamari Shakya, Producer, Aalto ARTS Books, Musta Taide, +358 44 524 7557, hannamari.shakya [at] aalto [dot] fi
Professor Merja Salo, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Aalto University, +358 50 585 5238, merja.salo [at] aalto [dot] fi
Tanja Jänicke, Producer, Mesenaatti, +358 41 496 9567, tanja [at] mesenaatti [dot] me