Notes on Happiness

 Notes on Happiness reflects on a year of conversations that Alex Farrar shared with his friends, family and acquaintances about happiness. Prompted by an invitation to respond to the subject whilst artist-in-residence at SEA Foundation, Tilburg; work on the project quickly became entwined with the life of the artist as he and his partner prepared for the birth of their daughter. Against this personal backdrop, Notes on Happiness tracks an understanding of happiness shifting in response to the multitude of ideas, attitudes and experiences of 21 contributors and the ‘Pope of Happiness’, researcher Ruut Veenhoven.

Written by Alex Farrar, edited by David Price, designed by studioHendriksen, with a series of drawings made by artist and filmmaker Daniel Jacoby that come together in a two colour print used to bind the book in ten different covers. Printed by Zwaan Lenoir, The Netherlands. Binding by AGIA, The Netherlands. Cover and interior paper is Arena natural rough, Fedrigoni. Notes on Happiness is published by Jap Sam Books, with financial support from Jaap Harten Fonds, Hinderrust Fonds, Stichting Stokroos, and paper sponsorship by Fedrigoni Benelux.

Notes on Happiness

Alex Farrar, with drawings by Daniel Jacoby
Jap Sam Books, 2023
142 x 72 x 11 mm, 184 pages, cold glue bound
offset printed in an edition of 379 (+21 for B–Y and Ruut Veenhoven), bound with 10 different covers, sliced from a single drawing by Daniel Jacoby

ISBN: 978-94-93329-00-3