INTERVIEW WITH KATRIN SAUERLÄNDER

Interview with Katrin Sauerländer, Managing Editor Publications.

Ms. Sauerländer, you are responsible for the publications of dOCUMENTA (13). What exactly is your job title?

The English title for my position is "Managing Editor Publications." In German, this corresponds to "Redaktionsleitung" (editorial director). I am essentially responsible for editing texts, copyediting, translations—in short, for ensuring that everything needed for a publication comes together on time. This also includes images and reproduction rights. Of course, I don't do this alone, but in close collaboration with the head of the publications department, Bettina Funcke, and with a fantastic team, without whom such a mammoth project could not be realized.

Which publications are we talking about exactly?

The series of 100 Notes – 100 Thoughts and the three publications that will accompany the exhibition. Considering that the exhibition opens in June 2012, we started comparatively early; I've been working for dOCUMENTA (13) since August 2010.

And already here in Kassel?

On-site since January 2011; initially, I worked from Berlin. Due to the notebooks, which have been continuously published since early 2011, a publications department was established early on, as there is a great deal of material to manage. As work began on the three other publications, the department grew further, as, for example, we could no longer handle image editing as a secondary task beyond a certain point.

Does that mean that the 100 titles are already finalized and edited?

The 100 titles have been set for quite some time, and most of them are indeed finished by now. Material for less than ten issues is still outstanding, and it's incredible to see the volume of text that has been processed.

Is your work predominantly done in Kassel, or do you also travel?

I do very little traveling in my profession. In this field, you're practically tied to your desk, because you really read all day long, unless you're writing emails. The majority of my work consists of reading texts, checking translations, entering corrections, and communicating with authors, graphic designers, and translators.

Have the authors also been to Kassel?

Some of the authors have been to Kassel; partly, there are close ties to dOCUMENTA (13), for example, in the case of agents or advisors. Many meetings with Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Chus Martínez have also taken place in other parts of the world. After the personal conversation, the authors were invited in writing, followed by an in-depth discussion with Bettina Funcke about the topic that emerged from their research and areas of interest. These are pressing topics that the authors are currently working on, and which are also vital for Carolyn and her Documenta, and will be reflected in the exhibition.

At what point does your work begin then?

I step in once an author has been invited, the topic set, and a deadline established. From that point, I contact them and ensure the text arrives on time, as a complex process of further editing follows, which needs to be planned in advance.

Could you describe it a little?

As soon as a text is ready, it is first edited. We do the German editing ourselves, although German source texts are rather rare given the international focus of the notebooks. English texts are given to native-speaking editors. Their changes, like ours, are made visible in the documents, presented to the authors for review, and, if there are questions, returned to the editor. The final version then goes for translation. We compare German and English translations with the original, and we also present the changes to the translators for review. This explains how time-consuming the editing of a single text is, even when everything goes smoothly. It gets more complicated when you don't know the source language, e.g., Armenian and Arabic, which usually requires even more intensive communication with the editors and translators, because you can't judge certain nuances yourself.

Are they also based here in Kassel?

That would be truly luxurious; we'd be a gigantic team. No, these people work in all sorts of corners of the world, as far as New Zealand. All correspondence runs via email and Skype, and in individual cases by post, until every detail is perfect. No text goes to print that doesn't 100% meet the authors' wishes. We are prepared to discuss every comma.

How much say did the authors have in the design?

Design in terms of layout?

Yes, format, color, etc.

The scope for input is limited by the fact that the notebooks have a consistent design that makes them recognizable as a series.

But there are different formats...

Yes, there are three different formats. Which contribution appears in which format depends on the material itself. There are various categories of notebooks. One, for example, is the facsimile notebooks, such as those for Walter Benjamin and György Lukács. These consist mainly of reproductions, preceded by an introduction. Here, the format is determined by the original size of the printed material; our goal is to stay as close to the original as possible. The essay volumes, which usually have only one illustration suggested by the authors, are often A6 formats. Ultimately, the format is thus decided according to design considerations, as are the cover colors. If someone expressed a specific wish for a format or a color, we were happy to fulfill it. Everyone always got what they wanted.

So there was very close coordination...

The content is as individual as the authors, and even if we have certain guidelines, we have responded individually to all situations within that framework. The cover, half-title, and imprint are inviolable. As for the rest of the interior, we have made many exceptions possible and taken into account the various wishes regarding illustrations or text layout. A special example is Lawrence Weiner's artist's book, which he designed completely, in this case even the half-title. Another case is Nalini Malani's notebook with Arjun Appadurai, in which a drawing runs through the entire text.

Making many authors and hopefully readers happy with the notebooks—that sounds like very satisfying work...

Working on the 100 Notebooks series is a wonderful experience due to the incredible diversity and quality of the texts and the great enthusiasm of everyone involved in this project. You interact with a wide range of authors from various fields, and we receive a lot of positive feedback. Overall, this project is driven by great enthusiasm.

Let's talk about the main publications. Which ones will there be?

A total of three publications will be released for the exhibition, Catalogs 1–3, which complement each other and also, in their design, represent a compact compendium of the content of this Documenta. Catalog 1/3, The Book of Books, will be published in a German and an English edition, each comprising over 750 pages. They will contain the entire series of 100 Notes – 100 Thoughts, which is so central to the path to dOCUMENTA (13). A challenge for the graphic design agency Leftloft, to compress approximately 3000 printed pages into a book of approximately 750 printed pages, which they solved with a new layout that echoes the design of the individual booklets... like a trace of memory. Additionally, there will be essays by Carolyn, Chus Martínez, and Franco Berardi Bifo, among others, and an illustrated list of participants and works with short biographies, which will then serve as an important reference work in later years when studying Documenta history.

What other publications are there?

For dOCUMENTA (13), there is also the indispensable tool for every visitor: The companion book, our Catalog 3/3, provides the most important information about the artists and their works in the exhibition in short texts. The special thing about this publication is that, instead of classic work illustrations, we invited all participants to provide a visual contribution, which could be anything – a photo, a text, a drawing – with the sole premise that the contribution is related to the exhibited work.

And what came out of it? What did most people choose?

Photos, texts, drawings, also work images... the contributions are very diverse, personal, and designed for the occasion. This was, of course, an exciting concept for us as well, and we are very enthusiastic about the result.

Those were two of the three publications. Let's move on to the third. What does that one look like?

The third publication, Catalog 2/3, is The Logbook, the volume that will document the exhibition. It consists of two parts: a collection of photos and correspondences that offers a very intimate insight into the creation of an exhibition, such as one would not otherwise get. Here, the agents and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev report in interviews about ideas, backgrounds, concepts. The second part is a visual tour through the finished exhibition and will therefore only be published after the opening.

When exactly?

Not much later, early July, so very close. Everything else is already being prepared, and finally the images will be inserted; it will all happen very quickly.

How does the collaboration with Hatje Cantz Verlag work?

The collaboration is very close. Hatje Cantz Verlag is not producing Documenta publications for the first time, and that is certainly noticeable. The publisher has a lot of experience with the unusual dimension of this project, which is new to me. I've worked with my colleague Cordelia Marten for the past two Berlin Biennales, but the scale here is simply different. In that respect, it's very reassuring to know that you have a partner who knows their stuff. We are, of course, in constant contact, because we have schedules to adhere to, and production for the major publications has been running in the background all along.

Most of the team working here at the moment are not from Kassel. Have you settled in well in the city? Have you found places you like to visit, and where you retreat when you have some Documenta-free time?

Precisely because of the scale, there's little Documenta-free time. However, you can definitely settle in well in Kassel, even if work predominates. One of the places I like is the swimming pool. It's right around the corner, a great luxury. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't manage to go there.

The swimming pool as a place where you can relax, perhaps also reflect and ponder a little?

The good thing is that I can't think when I'm swimming.

The interview was conducted by art journalists Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas.
24.04.2012