By Lydia Chodosh

On the Impulse to Notate assembles an array of dialogic encounters. Composed in fragments, the first half of the book favors an open poetic syntax, while a rigid index of cited references extends across its second half. This system speaks to the manner in which the author collects and aggregates information, constantly shifting its frame.

Presented here is a collection of original notes, art historical research, and elliptical conversations. In the latter, poet Henri Cole meditates on language and its uses. Contemporary art curator Jeffrey de Blois discusses movements toward and away from craft. Photographer Jonathan Jackson questions his ability to control an image in its final composition.

This work asks its audience to read closely, to pause in the movement toward knowledge, and to question the meaning of those acts.  

Designed and published by Lydia Chodosh

Includes dialogues with Joshua Chodosh, Georgia Cloepfil, Henri Cole, Jeffrey De Blois, Jonathan Mark Jackson, and Isabel Seiffert

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the RISD Graphic Design MFA, 2024

Softcover, 462 pages, 2-color printing, 6.25 × 8.6 inches