Curious Bookshelf Grows Out of Fallen Trees
Posted By Sherrell Dorsey On February 25, 2013 @ 11:50 am In Public Art,Recycling and Composting | No Comments
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If you feel like this curious bookshelf [5] looks like it’s growing right out of tree trunks, you’re not far off from the truth. Cazenovia, New York-based artist David Harper created the installation, which he calls “STACKS”, by recycling fallen logs. Built on the theme, “these trees shall be my books [6]”, Harper borrowed from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” as he pays homage to the living things that enable us to seek and distribute knowledge.
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The shelf’s left side is a collection of rotted dry wood laying on the ground. As you progress to the right of the shelf, the log develops a sturdy facade symbolizing how the brain develops as it acquires knowledge. The installation also serves as an awareness of the human connection to natural resources [8] and how they are used.
The installation bears a resemblance to a 2008 collection of public bookcases [9] made from fallen tree trunks in Berlin which lived on sidewalks for easy pedestrian access. The “Book Forrest” project [10] made books available to the public through a program called Bookcrossing [11] and was recognized by the UN as part of the 2008/2009 Education for Sustainable Development project.
Harper explained to My Modern Met [12] that one of the main purposes for the project was to raise awareness about the growing worldwide disregard for our interdependence with the planet’s environment, [which] heightened his profound concern for her health.
Via Design Taxi [13]
Article printed from Inhabitat New York City: http://inhabitat.com/nyc
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/curious-bookshelf-grows-right-out-of-fallen-trees/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/nyc/curious-bookshelf-grows-right-out-of-fallen-trees/
[4] Image: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/curious-bookshelf-grows-right-out-of-fallen-trees/davidharper3-e1361808750322/
[5] bookshelf: http://inhabitat.com/the-rectangline-chair-is-a-simple-geometric-seat-that-doubles-as-a-bookshelf/
[6] books: http://inhabitat.com/hundreds-of-discarded-books-spew-from-the-windows-of-the-hagues-meermanno-museum/
[7] Image: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/curious-bookshelf-grows-right-out-of-fallen-trees/davidharper4/
[8] natural resources: http://inhabitat.com/report-finds-renewable-energy-is-cheaper-than-gas-and-coal-in-australia/
[9] bookcases: http://inhabitat.com/thomas-wolds-quirky-and-unique-creations-made-from-upcycled-furniture/
[10] “Book Forrest” project: http://twistedsifter.com/2012/07/book-forest-berlin-trees-turned-into-public-bookcases/
[11] Bookcrossing: http://www.bookcrossing.com/
[12] My Modern Met: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/david-harper-stacks
[13] Design Taxi: http://designtaxi.com/news/356061/Bookshelf-Fashioned-Out-Of-Fallen-Trees/
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