Memory Palace [3 artists in the library]
Exceptional Books Revealed: The Open Book by Esther Shalev-Gerz
(Vancouver, British Columbia) — Esther Shalev-Gerz has always been fascinated by the intimate connectedness between people and objects and the stories that emerge from these relationships. For her commissioned project for the Vancouver Public Library she explored the investment of human experience found in books and her research resulted in the photography project titled The Open Page.
“Vancouver Public Library offers a space that allows for a profusion of knowledge and imagination—accessible to everybody. On many floors, the seeker can explore unfamiliar worlds onsite or take out the books and videos. But the 7th floor holds special collections of rare publications, documents and historical photographs which must be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room, a distinctive space offset from the rest of the Library,” she says of her exhibition at the Central Library.
Shalev-Gerz was guided by the Special Collections staff and their impressive knowledge and invited them to choose favourite books. These extraordinary objects were photographed to capture the instant of the opening of the book, held with care by the hands of Library staff members and presented at actual size. This method of consultation and the gathering, reorganizing and revealing of what already exists and is deeply felt, is typical of the artist’s way of working. She has said that her approach “relies on...a gift of the word and on a memory which is constructed and transformed by participation, by an approach creating a memory, a souvenir (the "I was there") through the commitment of people to the times.”
The objects include Chinook Texts, by Franz Boas, wherein Boas translated the Chinook language for the first time (1894), Audubon’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845-46) and the stunningly illustrated Breviarium for the use of Dominican Nuns (c.1430). The Open Page will counter the necessary limits of accessibility to these objects by inserting them photographically into all levels of the Library.
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ms. Shalev-Gerz has lived in Paris since1984 and spends time each year on Cortez Island, B.C. Her commissioned artworks include those at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, Castlemilk Park in Glasgow, Buchenwald Memorial and Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK. In early 2010 the Jeu de Paume in Paris will present a major survey exhibition of her work.
Presented by the City of Vancouver Public Art Program in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library, Memory Palace [3 artists in the library] is curated by Karen Love and supported by Arts Partners in Creative Development, Canada Council for the Arts, Government of British Columbia, BC Arts Council, Vancouver Foundation, Consulat General de France and the Library Square Endowment Fund created by City Council in 1995.
Aperture banners are displayed in the Central Library Promenade and artworks are displayed near the escalators on the Central Library Levels 3 to 7.
“Vancouver Public Library offers a space that allows for a profusion of knowledge and imagination—accessible to everybody. On many floors, the seeker can explore unfamiliar worlds onsite or take out the books and videos. But the 7th floor holds special collections of rare publications, documents and historical photographs which must be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room, a distinctive space offset from the rest of the Library,” she says of her exhibition at the Central Library.
Shalev-Gerz was guided by the Special Collections staff and their impressive knowledge and invited them to choose favourite books. These extraordinary objects were photographed to capture the instant of the opening of the book, held with care by the hands of Library staff members and presented at actual size. This method of consultation and the gathering, reorganizing and revealing of what already exists and is deeply felt, is typical of the artist’s way of working. She has said that her approach “relies on...a gift of the word and on a memory which is constructed and transformed by participation, by an approach creating a memory, a souvenir (the "I was there") through the commitment of people to the times.”
The objects include Chinook Texts, by Franz Boas, wherein Boas translated the Chinook language for the first time (1894), Audubon’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845-46) and the stunningly illustrated Breviarium for the use of Dominican Nuns (c.1430). The Open Page will counter the necessary limits of accessibility to these objects by inserting them photographically into all levels of the Library.
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ms. Shalev-Gerz has lived in Paris since1984 and spends time each year on Cortez Island, B.C. Her commissioned artworks include those at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, Castlemilk Park in Glasgow, Buchenwald Memorial and Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK. In early 2010 the Jeu de Paume in Paris will present a major survey exhibition of her work.
Presented by the City of Vancouver Public Art Program in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library, Memory Palace [3 artists in the library] is curated by Karen Love and supported by Arts Partners in Creative Development, Canada Council for the Arts, Government of British Columbia, BC Arts Council, Vancouver Foundation, Consulat General de France and the Library Square Endowment Fund created by City Council in 1995.
Aperture banners are displayed in the Central Library Promenade and artworks are displayed near the escalators on the Central Library Levels 3 to 7.
- 30 -
For more information please contact Karen Love, Curator, at karenlove@telus.net.
Digital Images of the work available to the media upon request.
