Rock, Paper, Scissors is the. book designed for Kiasma, the Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art, for their yearly collection exhibition. The 2024 exhibition focuses on the materiality in contemporary art. The theme revolves around the question: why does contemporary art look the way it does? The material used and how it’s worked often plays a central role in the meaning of the artwork. The exhibition offers insights into the diverse meanings of materials, questions of authorship and technique, and ways of perception. There’s always more to a material than meets the eye.

The task was to embody the theme of materiality into the exhibition publication. The theme was approached both concretely and conceptually. Concretely, materiality is reflected in the tactility of the print and finishing techniques. Conceptually, stylistic choices related to the preservation, archiving, and conservation of artworks were used.

The idea of archiving is reflected in the typography, layout, and print finishing. For the paper selection, materials were chosen to reflect the participatory nature of the works, which require the viewer’s active involvement or even physical touch. The materials are fragile and deteriorate over time, just like any object in our physical environment. In the museum’s collection, efforts are made to control the aging of materials by preserving artworks in optimal conditions and conserving them. This concept was integrated into the design.

In typography, the use of lists, numbering, and a typewriter-like font style were central to the design. The variation in paper choices further emphasizes the materiality theme of the exhibition. The treatment of paper as a material itself was key — embossing, matte finishes, and transparency were used to highlight the theme. The publication invites the reader to explore it physically, offering a sensory experience beyond the visual.