Signed; Joan Fontcuberta - Securitas [édition de tête] - 2001

A unique book and a copy of the limited edition, numbered, signed by Joan Fontcuberta on the last page. virtually impossible to find today. It is a one-of-a-kind book in the history of photographic publishing: it presents itself as a real metal safe, and to open it you must use the key embedded in the cover (there is also a duplicate of the key that can be used in case of loss). The whole thing is protected by a sliding, cardboard editorial case. A near-mint copy, solidly bound in metal with a half-stoned spine.

This Securitas book was published on the occasion of an interactive exhibition presented by the Telefónica Foundation during the PhotoEspaña 2001 photography festival. This project goes well beyond photography by combining digital images and interactive devices and exploring the boundaries between photography, painting and new technologies. It starts from shadow play and reaches technologically sophisticated elements, such as the Internet.

The visitor to the exhibition activated this interactive device by inserting a key (the one the visitor carries in their pocket) into a lock. This lock is, in reality, a scanner that reads the teeth of the key and transmits them amplified to a mechanism that projects them onto a surface, rising to a height that reproduces, with varying degrees of fidelity, the profile of the original key. The structure is covered with elastic fabric and the resulting effect resembles a mountain, each time different and faithful to the teeth of each key. During the exhibition this device was also operable in real time via the Telefónica Foundation website.

The mountain, a natural defense of a sinuous relief, a symbol of inaccessible territories, and the keys, symbols of security, emblems of privacy and protection, are boldly associated by Fontcuberta in Securitas. In these panoramic views of mountain ranges, mountain lovers might recognize mythical ranges such as the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Rockies or the Himalayas, but there is no truth to that in reality.

To realize his project Fontcuberta asked for the keys from figures responsible for the security of the Spanish state: the Prime Minister at the time, José María Aznar, the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defense, and the edition of the book was undoubtedly generously distributed to all these figures, which explains why it is impossible to find (more than 20 years later, nonetheless).

A personal collection book kept with the greatest care. Shipped with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international tracking. In case of multiple purchases, there is the possibility of bundled shipping with reimbursement of any excess postage paid via PayPal.

To better view the photographs you can click on one of them to bring up a display on a black screen background that further enhances them and is equipped with forward/backward functions, and you can also exit it at any time to return to the standard display.

2.1 kg excluding packaging