Marc Fischer wrote "Against Competition" in 2006. The essay takes on the pervasive and corrosive problem of competition that exists and is created between artists by a market-driven art system. The essay also explores productive collaborative models in art, as well as in underground music subcultures whose approaches to generosity and working together might be something for artists to learn from. Fischer's has been a popular text used in classes and downloaded many more times than the initial print run of the magazine the text was first published in.
We have reprinted the essay with illustrations made by our highly talented collaborator Kione Kochi. A new Afterword follows up on some of the stories and examples from the original essay, and looks at the impact of social media on all of these concerns and how things have changed in the nearly 8 years since this text was first written. The booklet was made on a Risograph EZ 390 with three colors on green and white paper, and then scanned to make the epub.
For the 2016 reprint, the booklet is printed with black, green, and medium blue ink. Third printing: black, teal and blue. Fourth printing: black, teal and grass.
Published by Half Letter Press Softcover 16 pages 139.7 x 215.9 mm
Killamery High Cross, Co. Kilkenny.The High Cross dating from the 9th century is used as a model for many of the small high crosses sold across the world as an...
Punks Listen – The Fanzine is a follow-up to the highly successful book of the same name. So far, the book has raised over €15,000 for the Red Cross Ukraine...
Rothe House, Kilkenny City. Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant’s townhouse complex in Kilkenny City. The complex was built between 1594–1610 and comprises three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large...
Killiney Obelisk, Co. Dublin. The obelisk, 156m above sea level, was constructed at the summit of Killiney Hill in 1741-2 as a famine relief project to provide employment for destitute...
East Pier Lighthouse, Dún Laoghaire. With the construction of the East Pier lighthouse in 1842, the largest man-made harbour in Western Europe had been completed. The piers are of different...
Oystercatcher, Williamstown, Dublin. The oystercatcher – in Irish Roilleach – has a loud piping call “kip kip kip-kip-kip” and feeds, not on oysters, but cockles and mussels. Joe Hollingsworth is...
Wren, (Dreolín) Sandymount, Dublin. On the 26th of December, Wren Boys sing “The wren, the wren, the king of all birds”. But the wren, with its tiny cocked tail, is...
Robin (Spideog), Redcross, Co. Wicklow. The robin fluffs out its feathers in cold weather, making it appear very plump. Despite its melancholy-sounding Winter song, it can is very friendly and...