Torque

The book Torque consists of small fragments of two large-format woodcuts by Leon Friederichs: Viner, an exact silhouette of his bicycle; and Carpet, a contemporary world landscape.

Framed by these images are fragments of text that seem like ciphers and that turn out to be navigation instructions only on closer inspection – in the author's words, his "map material". He was and is dependent on short notes like these on all of his bicycle trips. Left, right, five kilometres straight ahead, turn onto the forest path behind the power line, cross the railway, cross the motorway, turn into Mill Lane at the turnpike, and always downhill …