1/8 / 16 - a Informação Esquartejada

Rio de Janeiro: Aloísio Magalhães, 1971. Magalhães, Aloísio. Octavo. 24ff, frenchfold. One of 96 copies. According to the artist's statement, printed on both covers in tête-bêche format in two colors, the contents consist of sixteen-sheet outdoor posters cut into octavo french-fold leaves, inserted at random across the edition. Magalhães's conceit revolves around the idea of reassembling what was once "informação inteira," which then become open to the imagination and whimsy of the viewer. Widely considered a pioneer of modern design in Brazil, Magalhães's work included the design for the first logo for Brazil's Rede Globo television network, as well as a major redesign of the country's banknotes - which incorporated a moiré pattern that made forgery quite difficult. In the present work, the printing resolution for a large poster allows one to see various pixellation patterns in the color separation, giving the work both color and texture, and therefore a mutable meaning - a concept reinforced by the tête-bêche format. A scarce work by Brazil's most important designer, this is an uncommonly fine copy, exhibiting none of the foxing or toning to which the glossy white printed wrappers are prone.