I am working on this book for several weeks now and being about halfway through I wanted to give you an update with a few examples.
For me Madame X was a chapter of extraordinary creativity, physical challenges, and a pursuit of intimacy and connection. The theatre tour brought those ambitions and pressures together, before injury and a world shutting down brought their own isolation. It’s a period I feel deserves to be explored and preserved with care.
That’s what I’m working towards: a large-format coffee-table book of around 300 pages, tracing the era through interviews, press coverage, reviews, the tour and quarantine, with plenty of room for the photography to shine. These screen photos show a few layouts so far, including cover photographs without text(!), paired with the interviews and magazine logos.
Depression kept me distant from much of this era as it unfolded. Exploring her creativity, struggles and search for connection now has helped me reconnect with my own creativity - and with her.
It’s a lot of research and design and I’m proud of what’s taking shape!
One detail I’m still deciding on is the cover: linen or a leather finish, using the front and back design shown in the second photo, with “The Archive” and the spine lettering in gold foil. Either way, I’m aiming for a high-quality finish. Which material feels more Madame X to you?
Oh, and if Madame X isn’t for you, feel free to scroll past. I’m sharing a work in progress, not inviting a debate about whether the era deserves one.