'The book as a beacon?' is a research project that is situated within the context of the Belgian Platform for Photo Books, a previous project that maps and studies the contemporary Belgian photobook. The aim of the project is to conduct a qualitative research into the role of the photobook on the development of the oeuvre of five contemporary Belgian photographers, diverse in background, age, gender and practice.
How does the oeuvre of a photographer evolve when the book enters his artistic practice and what role does the medium play in it; and how does the book manifest itself in that practice, when photographers are not just photographers, but sometimes also designers and publishers? How different is the practice of that younger generation of photographers who start working with the book from the start? How do they all view the evolution of the photobook and how do they relate to the medium?
