Cross your fingers

Here's a new proposal I just finished writing - we already have the wall space, just trying to get a buy off to take the art into the stacks - I hope they go for it, it will make for a much more interesting show (I think!)

ArtistCircle Proposal for October Port Moody Library show

Tag Line:
ArtistCircle presents "By the Book - Artists interpret literature" an exploration into the significance of books in our lives.

Our Proposal:
We are inundated with information daily without request or permission yet we still find time to go to the library and seek out information ourselves. The library is almost a sacred space, a reliquary for the texts our culture considers significant enough to require an embodiment in the printed page, not just an existence as bits of data. In this age of electronic information something still draws us to cradling a book in our hands, this show is an homage to that desire. The pleasure of getting lost in a book.

In addition to displaying paintings based on favorite works and altered books we are requesting permission to take the show into the stacks by tucking small artworks into the shelved books. We feel that this will create a much more interesting, expansive and intimate show. The huge popularity of Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock points to the fascination that people have with the personal documents of other's lives. Discovering an artwork would allow the reader into a shared relationship with the author and other readers, crossing boundaries between fact and fiction, or history and the present. It would be a wonderful way to make an intimate impact on the viewer/reader as they discover a hidden gem in a book that happened to catch their eye, or even better bring something new in one of their favorite texts.

Some examples of possible planted artworks include:
Portraits of characters in the books
Trading cards of authors with vital stats (like sports trading cards)
To do lists of authors or characters which mirror the narrative in the book.
Fictional correspondence of authors, readers, and/or characters.

We would set up rules regarding the placement of artworks into books in the stacks. First and foremost the items should not damage the book. The artwork should be age appropriate for the books they are placed in. The artist would not hold any expectations that the artwork would be returned - they may be lost, collected, or perhaps enjoy an extended journey with the book. They would all be cataloged and marked with the website for the show. This website would provide a place for the audience to comment on their discovery experience and find the locations of the other artworks. If requested all planted artwork could be removed from the stacks at the end of the show.

Thank you for your consideration of our proposal.