In a world where the Filofax day planner is all but obsolete, Rememberer is unforgettable. Somehow this book manages to be all things at once: day planner, art book and chapbook. The illustrations from Halifax-based art duo Yorodeo are reminiscent of 1970s-styled Saturday morning cartoons with an update of dark irony. The tightly crafted works of micro-fiction peppered throughout Rememberer lend sincerity to this pretty and practical volume, while to-do-lists, month-planners and address books pop up along the way. Both the images and stories play with the quaint rituals we once used to organize, remember and understand our lives and identities. As we increasingly perform these rituals through smart phones, blogs or tweets, Rememberer feels nostalgic even as it documents the current.
Throughout the colourful pages there are jarring hints of something being slightly wrong: a reminder string tied prohibitively around an index finger, the melting face of a snowman. All are secreted into cute, kitschy illustrations that create a provocative, post-modern dreamscape. In comparison, the micro-fiction edited by Jenner-Brooke Berger can feel monochromatic at times and lacking in the discordant tones that make the visuals so captivating. Certain standout pieces (Katie Heindl’s “To The Teeth” and Mindy Hung’s “Lost, Found”) pack volumes into a constrictive length. The patterns in Geordie Miller’s “A Partial List of Everything I Can Ever Remember Losing” brilliantly echo the rhythm of remembering. (Ellie Anglin)
Yorodeo, edited by Jenner Brooke-Berger, 136 pgs, Invisible Publishing, invisiblepublishing.heroku.com, $12.95