Jul Gordon — It’s Okay to give it a try

We are following a bike ride through the city, past buildings, trees, graffitis, parks, ads. A inner voice sets in, speaking only in polarities: It’s ok. It is not ok; it will do, it won’t. In SB-007, Jul Gordon tells us a tale as old as time: a tale of artistic brooding.

On route to an appointment, the protagonist is giving herself a pep talk: It’s worth a try. You can give it a try. She is supposed to record singing pets in order to incorporate them into an art project. The passing urban scenery and the repeated mantras create a unquantifiable strangeness despite the rather familiar set up. The sober tone of the voice-over creates constant unease and even the quasi-documentary line drawings tingle with tension: clearly, the absurd feeds off reality. Eventually, the book turns on itself – is this already a story? Is the narrative enough? For a book? Well, it’s OK to give it a try.

Printed in Fluo Yellow & Brown
on Fedrigoni Freelife Kendo 250g with thermography finish on cover+back cover, at Risofort
95 x 115mm,
98 Pages,
coil-binding in Fluo Yellow
Edition of 150
Published by SofortBooks in November 2024

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