A Hxstory of Renting’s Momentum
A Hxstory of Renting photo book, resting on white cloth, enjoying its photo shoot in natural light (the cloth was a standard-issued bedsheet I took home from my dorm as an undergraduate)
A Hxstory of Renting’s Momentum
By Erina Alejo
April 1, 2021 (973 words - 8 minute read)
The life of a book after its physical existence
November 2020: The book form of A Hxstory of Renting physically sold out within a week, before my three-person book team and I can thoroughly reflect on its impact while we had the 200 copies in our care. The outcome was unprecedented, at least for someone like me who has limited experience in creating lasting objects from my art practice, much less, sharing and distributing it to audiences. This was my first time creating something permanent for AHOR as a five year, and ongoing project that is out in the world (other public aspects of AHOR have been ephemeral public interventions like Scatter Piece). There were important learning moments and growing pains from this self-published production and distribution process. Curator and arts organizer Lian Ladia, who helped produce the book with me, with UK-based designer Jerlyn Jareunpoon-Phillips, aptly described this first edition, a “limited joyful clumsiness” in our DIY process.
Present AHOR Public Presence
AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION
"The Latinx/Filipinx Commons: Artists in Revolt From the Islands to the Heart of Empire", panel with Dr. Karina Gutierrez, Cynthia Garcia, Jewel Pereyra, Erina Alejo; chaired by Dr. Angela Marino. October 7-10, 2021, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
SKYLINE COLLEGE
co-guest speaker with Jeremy Keith Villaluz for History 436 - Filipinos in America, taught by Dr. Rod Daus-Magbual, April 8, 2021.
BALAY KREATIVE's Kapwa in Excelsior
on view, April 3, 2021. Read here
LENSCRATCH
by Davida Carta, March 28, 2021. Read here
TALKING IN THE LIBRARY
review by Kim Beil and InHae Yap, March 5, 2021. Watch on YouTube
STRANGE FIRE
with InHae Yap, Jan 28, 2021. Read here
Image description: Screenshot of (clockwise) Erina, Lian, and Jerlyn expressing joy after placing the print order for AHOR, September 2020 at 10:28AM PST / 6:28PM BST
“Limited joyful clumsiness” in our DIY process — Lian Ladia
What is the life of a book after its physical existence? How do I talk about a work (the book) I no longer have in stock to distribute to audiences so that it’s fresh in their minds? Initially, I was deeply frustrated with myself for rushing the process. I was so excited that there was interest in the book that I kept meeting the need without being considerate of my team’s expertise (Lian and Jerlyn) in distribution and process. There were nascent plans to gradually distribute the book throughout 2020 and 2021, aligned with the timing of the run of my SFMOMA commission, My Ancestors Followed Me Here, at the museum. Yet, I also reflect that collectively, it was our first time altogether encountering this unique situation with a piece of art work that was voluminous in its quantity, and functioned beyond being an art book that typically is highly limited in quantity (200 is a lot, and we did not have a large publisher and distributor). In a way, after intensely working on AHOR for over a year, it quickly evaporated from our direct presence, shipped to different homes and palms, relieving our labor as a small team. This allowed each of us to move onto other projects at hand. The process taught me a very humbling lesson: to slow down and listen, especially at heightened, stressful states.
Image description: Series of photos documenting the journey of a packaged AHOR book to my local post office. This last book was sent to Brian B+ Cross. The package wrapping consisted of my art work for Scatter Piece.
High school pal on social media: “Did you write a textbook?” I replied, “It’s a picture book! :D”
Lian, Jerlyn, and I devoted pockets of discussions trying to figure out AHOR as a book. It’s not purely an art book; it’s kind of like an educational textbook? A high school pal (I think they are in real estate) asked me through a comment on one Instagram post, “Did you write a textbook?” I replied, “It’s a picture book! :D”. AHOR does look like one of those clunky textbooks anchoring as weight in a 2nd grader’s backpack— and it’s intended to be thought of this way, too. We had aimed for AHOR to reach broadly, indicated by the book’s Appendix instruction: “These section guides for individual photos are envisioned for use by educators, individuals, families, school districts, and public entities alike.”
And so, we’re here in the present. After hibernating for sometime away from AHOR, I am able to lucidly reflect on the process, which has been a work of art itself. I’m proud of our team, and truly thank everyone involved: David Woo, amidst his organizing work, writing the formative introductory essay; Janet Delaney helping me look through my draft, giving me advice through her expertise with her books and photography, and participating in the interview feature in the book; Jerome Reyes slotting in his piece among the other writing commitments he had in 2020, and helping me also refine parts of the book’s sequencing. I also think of mentors and peers I reached out to, in the process of determining the contributing writers and overall book: Tony Remington, Christine Abiba, Brian B"+ Cross.
Image description: a spread of AHOR, opened to page 11 beginning David Woo’s essay, “A Future That Puts People First”
I truly admire the dynamism of Lian and Jerlyn’s collaboration impacting a multitude of global and local projects, which now also includes AHOR.
For the book team, I reflect on the endless hours Lian and Jerlyn spent exchanging emails (with me in the loop, and without) on sequencing and design decisions; Jerlyn typesetting, among various detailed aspects of the book’s interiority; the launch of the clamshellpress website supporting a community of artists around the globe; Lian staying up late into the early morning hours packing books to ship, and each of us developing routines and relationships with our local post offices through the repeated shipment of books . Lian and Jerlyn and are long term collaborators on many projects of various scales— I truly admire the dynamism of their teamwork impacting a multitude of global and local projects, which, gratefully, now also includes AHOR. AHOR and I are so lucky.
Image description: Screenshot of the landing page for AHOR’s feature on Strange Fire, by InHae Yap. Text is laid over a documentation from Scatter Piece. The text reads: “This week on Strange Fire / Q&A: Erina Alejo / Go to Interview / Explore the Archive”
While physically sold out, A Hxstory of Renting is virtually moving about.
So now, while physically sold out, A Hxstory of Renting is virtually moving about. (I feel like I’m now finally applying the skills I learned from participating in Papalodown Agency’s PR For the People Workshop, brilliantly led by Paloma Concordia).
Emerging visual cultural studies scholar InHae Yap was instrumental to the book’s Strange Fire interview and review on Kim Beil’s Stanford University Talking in the Library series. My femtors from UC San Diego connected me with writer, photographer, and curator Davida Carta who reviewed the book for Lenscratch. Through Balay Kreative’s Kapwa in Excelsior initiative, the book’s cover photo will materialize into public art along my block this April 3. I’ll be talking shop with Jeremy Keith Villaluz on our photographic practices for Manong / Dr. Rod Daus-Magbual’s History 436 - Filipinos in America course at Skyline College. This October, I’m presenting on the book on a panel with scholars like Cynthia García (my pal since middle school!) at the American Studies Association annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico (or, virtually if pandemic).
BIG BIG THANK YOU for those of you who sent me your homework assignment from receiving your signed copy of the first edition— developing something from that :). Yes, a second edition is likely down the road, TBA. Publishing photo books is not really a straightforward process— at least this time, I’ve leveled up *cue Super Mario sound effect* in the DIY aspect via the first printing.
More soon,
Erina Alejo (A Hxstory of Renting)
