CANARY, 2026
Published by: PARAROJA
Dimensions: 11.5 × 19,5 cm
Pages: 12 pages
Language: English
The Canary book is a handmade publication created as an extension of Olson Lamaj’s photographic project Canary (2023). The book is constructed with a cardboard cover and a long accordion-folded sheet that unfolds to reveal eight color photographs of domestic canaries. The publication also contains a small 10-page black-and-white booklet that provides a deeper insight into the conceptual framework of the project. Through its handcrafted format, careful editing, and tactile qualities, the book creates an intimate experience that reflects the delicate nature of the photographed subjects.
Conceptually, the publication explores the relationship between humans and nature through the practice of breeding and collecting domestic canaries in Albania. The book reflects on how human intervention shapes the appearance, colors, and characteristics of these birds, transforming them into living expressions of aesthetic desire. Through photography and bookmaking, Canary becomes an archive of these carefully cultivated species, questioning the boundaries between the natural and the artificial, between preservation and control, and between nature as it exists and nature as imagined by humans.