Tank just collected first load of books today for Books in Limbo installation opening on the 1st of June. Very Exciting!
There is something so comforting about being amongst all those books. Its not surprising that they are a never ending source of inspiration for artists.
Their very fabric along with the content is an intoxicating combination open to exponential creative possibilities. Which is probably why this exhibition will have so many facets ...readings, discussions, performances, interactions, recordings, ....and more.
I was meant to keep focused on loading and unloading but kept getting distracted by cool book covers and interesting subjects.The Use and Abuse of Statistics caught my eye. Something I have always been interested in....I used to go to the library (in the days before the internet) and pour of the Annual National Statistic Reports, comparing, checking and putting things into perspective.
An original Jane Fonda work out, The Geographia A1 atlas of London with no date that I can see yet..probably from the 40's or 50's, a set of encyclopedias, ancient DIY books, cook books, dictionaries. Some beautifully covered some with their cover torn off. I just have to try not to keep them all!
20 artists, poets & writers have been invited to choose a book to change, adapt, destroy, reinvent, or simply read. Artists including Judy Brown, Claire Stanhope, Stella Duncan Petley & Renata Kudlacek to name a few. The books in their new form will be added to the installation.
These are our building blocks, our source...what we do with it remains to be seen....we will work together to construct and deconstruct within the the space, but also the content. What are these books and what do they mean to us? Piles and piles of information, some highly specialised such as engineering study manuals and some just at the dawn of learning with kids counting books.I want to swim in them all, bury myself in all that knowledge! I have to admit I couldn't resist rolling around on top of them in the back of the van! Haha!
More details about the exhibition and all the events to follow!
Books in Limbo, 28th May-19th July 2010
PV Tuesday 1st June 2010 6-9pm -DJ set by guest artist from 9pm.
text and photos by Aoife van Linden Tol
