Bookness: 14 Observations

The multiple lives of a blank book (ed. Yvan Martinez and Joshua Trees) was exhibited in Bookness: 14 Observations, an exhibition curated by Sheena Calvert in conjunction with Books & the Human: AHRC 10th Anniversary Debate.

Through 14 objects and texts (providing provocations), this exhibition considered ‘bookness’ as a quality adhering both to the physical and immaterial attributes of ‘the book’. The curatorial prompt was “If ‘the book’ is undergoing significant transformations due to both developments in technology, but also as a result of broad cultural and intellectual shifts, then what defines ‘bookness’ in the past/present/future?” Exhibits were posed to promote dialogue around the complex relationship humans have with books.

Notable books exhibited include: The Book by Stéphane Mallarmé, The Poet Assassinated by Guillaume Apollinaire, Hieroglyphic Bible, Aesop’s Fables and Alice in Wonderland.

Window Galleries, Central Saint Martins
14 December 2015 – 4 January 2016

Tour by Julian Walker, British Library
17 December 2015

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