Form Dictates Function
My fascination with material (board, paper, papyrous,old books )and form derives here………….
Throughout most of the library’s history, the term “book” referred to works written on papyrus and some parchment rolls. Beginning in the second century, stacked and bound wooden boards recorded literature, science, and technical information. These tablets, called codex, derived from a centuries-old practice of using wooden writing tablets for notetaking. These new, durable codices gradually replaced the fragile rolls. However, rolls continued to be used for archival-type documents. Parchment eventually replaced the wooden boards.
The new codex form impacted book storage. Codices were stored flat on the shelf and covers protected their leaves. The libraries had to find ways to house both rolls and codices.
New libraries emerging in the Middle Ages in churches, schools, and monasteries concerned themselves only with the codex form.
Researching about ancient Library of Alexandria for the last few months…….. Re -Constructing a floor plan for ADD TO MY LIBRARY……
The ancient library of Alexandria has a notorious history related to its disappearance. It is said to have fallen victim to fire, earthquakes, floods and neglect.
The ancient library and Mouseion was begun in the 3rd Century BC by Ptolemy I and served the city and the school of Alexandria. It is believed to have contained anywhere from 200,000 to 700,000 scrolls. The library served well-known classical scholars such as Archimedes, Euclid, Heropholus, Erastothenes, Hypatia, Callimachus, Aristarchus, Heron and Theocritus, among others. It is not clear if the library was the largest in the world at the time however it was clearly considered the most important based upon its influential collection of both scholars and scrolls. The Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew, is among the many important publications of the ancient library. The original appearance, size and extent of the building or buildings of the ancient library remain unknown. It is likely that the architectural style of the building or buildings was Greek and was probably located somewhere in the area of the new library.
The disappearance of the ancient library remains a mystery and no specific date can positively be attributed to the complete disappearance of the ancient institutions.
During the course of nearly 2000 years the ancient library has maintained mythological status as an institution of world culture. In 1974 the President of the University of Alexandria, Dr. Mohamed Lotfi Dowidar first suggested reviving the Alexandria Library. The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education adopted this idea and later the General Organization of the Alexandria Library (GOAL) was developed to implement the project.
Archeological excavations were carried out on the site prior to construction to a depth of approximately 6 meters starting in 1994 by a team of international, mainly Polish, experts. No remnants of the existing library were specifically found. However, two precious Greco-Roman mosaic floors were uncovered, probably residential, and will be incorporated into the museum area of the new building. Additionally several sophisticated Roman design drainage channels were uncovered pointing to the existence of well-designed classical structures on the site.
ADD THIS TO MY LIBRARY!
‘Add to my Library’, reflects linear processes of collective narratives into an open active space. This is inspired by Walter Benjamin’s writing ‘Unpacking my library’ where traditional processess of collection are deployed. The project is the living library that harbours a number of physical book like creations from fringe areas. My intention is to question contemporary notions of ‘selves’ and ‘others’ and to open a path to sense alterity while questioning the internet coded language.
In ‘Add to my Library’ I attempt to confront the viewer with an array of wondrous and humorous meditations on materiality through visual transmissions, from banal to the monumental.
Deconstructing my Library.Pages from my antique book collection have been removed from their covers and meticulously reorganised and rebound as many, now transformed into objects that defy there original form. The coverless books are folded together to create an intrinsically infinite organic structure that begins to approach a painting or drawing.
How does their significance take on a greater meaning in the disruption of conventional readings? Does the actual documentation of the process construct a new project?
