#themakingofaninstitution

[hemanchong]

#TheMakingOfAnInstitution #PanelDiscussion with #UteMetaBauer #NikosPapastergiadis #AnnDemeester #JohnTirman #YukoHasegawa on #Ownership #Development and #Aspirations of #producing, #defending and #maintaining an #institution. #GillmanBarracks #NTUCCA (at NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore)

[hemanchong]

#TheLibraryOfUnreadBooks is a #referencelibrary where every single volume you see on the tables has been donated by an individual who, for some reason or another, has not read the book in their possession. It is a simple way to displace an object from an extremely #private place to a site open to the public where it becomes accessible by anyone. The books are arranged #randomly, in #stacks, and during the course of the exhibition, their position will shift around a lot. We like that it remains consistently #confusing and #surprising. The journey of ‘The Library of Unread Books’ began on 23 September 2016, as part of a generous residency at #NTUCCA. After this iteration as part of #TheMakingofanInstitution, it will move to other locations. Most of these future venues are not confirmed yet, but we hope that the library will never be in storage. Within an institutional context, the piece balances nicely between an artwork and a public programme. Eventually, we would like the library to enter the permanent collection of an institution. We will run the library ourselves for ten years, accumulating as many #unreadbooks as possible and having many interesting #conversations with the people who come and read. Please approach one of the gallery caretakers if you would like to donate a book. We take you at your word that it is an #unread #book you are donating to us, much like a #handshake. In any case, we are happy that these books have managed to detach from your #shelf (or under your bed) and are now available in the public domain for anyone who wants to read them. Feel free to sit and read or browse for as long as you like and return the book to any stack you prefer. #HemanChong & #ReneeStaal Singapore, February 2017 (at The Library of Unread Books 2)

[hemanchong]

Today is the last day that #TheLibraryOfUnreadBooks will #inhabit this space at Block 38 #MalanRoad in @gillmanbarracks #GillmanBarracks. @renee_martine #ReneeStaal and I opened the #library to the #public last year, on 23 September #2016, and for every single Friday we opened our doors between 12 #noon and 12 #midnight. It has been extremely rewarding to see so many #readers coming to our small independent space to do nothing but #read. We just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming to the library and for making it yours in those few hours. The Library will surface again in @ntu_ccasingapore come February 10, as part of #TheMakingOfAnInstitution, curated by @utemeta #UteMetaBauer, #ancarujoiu and #annalovecchio. Come around today if you have time! Or see you soon next month! Happy Chinese New Year! x x x (at The Library of Unread Books)