A Participatory Experience

Art student, Margaret Jennings, has transformed the book shelves at the entrance of the Library into an alternative living library of found materials.

The discarded items have been collected, categorized, arranged and offered for re-use by others. People are invited to take objects away and replenish the shelves with those that they find.

‘…juxtaposed against the historically and culturally revered library context, the newly categorised and arranged objects, evoke the beginnings of a re-appropriated transformative journey of stuff’ Margaret Jennings.

People are encouraged to re-work and transform the objects they take into new forms, using their imagination in a way which prompts questioning over the value of discarded materials and their relationship with consumerism.

Through this playful and participatory work, the artist prompts reflection upon a throw-out-buy again mentality and suggests alternatives for environmental responsibility.

Margaret is documenting participation in the Living Library. Images of objects taken and transformed, as well as objects given back to the library will be shared via this blog. Please e-mail l.cannon@gold.ac.uk to contribute your images.

For more information about Exhibitions in the Library visit www.gold.ac.uk/library/exhibitions