2 November 2024 | Photo: Cecily Eno
The book explores art’s role in our lives, posing questions like: "Why do we do it? How does it help us? And how does it hold us all together?"
English musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist Brian Eno has unveiled his latest book, ‘What Art Does’, co-authored with Dutch artist Bette Adriaanse.
This collaborative work is a visually rich, illustrated hardback produced in a limited edition of 777 copies. Each book is personally signed and comes with a slipcase hand-painted by Eno and Adriaanse. Additionally, a black-and-white PDF version will be accessible for a week following the book's release.
According to the press release, ‘What Art Does’ delves into thought-provoking questions about art, including “Why do we do it? How does it help us? And how does it hold us all together?” The book examines “the functions of fictional worlds” and proposes a new theory of art.
Proceeds from the book will be shared equally between two charities: Earth Percent, the climate initiative co-founded by Eno, and The Heroines! Movement, a non-profit led by Adriaanse to celebrate local female role models through storytelling.
The book considers “the function of fictional worlds—such as pop songs, detective novels, soap operas, shoe tassels, and the hidden language of haircuts,” as described by Eno and Adriaanse in the release, aiming to present “a new theory of art.”
A limited special edition will be available from Metalabel and Enoshop starting December 3, with wider hardback and ebook editions following on January 16, 2025. Find more information here for North America and here for global availability.
