Alternative Library Spaces

In the recent  Close Connections: A Bibliographic Exhibition (September 10-November 12, 2011), David Bellman and Meirion Cynog Evans, otherwise known as the The Collective for Advanced and Unified Studies in the Visual Arts (CAUSA),  give bibliographies a new role within the contemporary artistic discourse. In their own words, Close Connections is a “research project concerning the purposeful use of revived curatorial resources — as contained within local art reference library and archive holdings”.

CAUSA, active since 2003, is interested in independent curatorial projects that inquire into the nature of culture and history. Having had a chance to hear both David and Meirion speak at a special meeting of the Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG), I was very happy to learn that they believe there is a need for more artists to use books and to create networks between libraries, making them visibly important once again.

During this CAG encounter, David Bellman, an independent research curator and an art historian, very outspoken and critical in regards to cultural and social trends, voiced his suspicion of the concept of “old fashioned” in an era where everything is overthrown so suddenly. Perhaps, it  is not a coincidence then that the bibliographic exhibition is CAUSA’s current conceptual output, considering that a citation is always referencing a ‘thing’ of the past, but a ‘thing’ that might still be of currency nonetheless. Curiously enough, in Bellman’s description of the project, the emphasis on ‘fashion’ seemed to be a recurrent theme, as he stated that “libraries are not exempt from fashion”, alluding to particular biases in each library collection.

Close Connections: A Bibliographic Exhibition, however, is not meant to encompass all of CAUSA’s concerns; instead, it zooms in on one specific area of interest – the changing artistic landscape of 1970s, where artists were engaged in critical inquiry and in the development of new conceptual and environmental perspectives. The inspiration for the show came from the 955,000 exhibition that took place at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1970 and was globally recognized as an important artistic event where text and context played out their meanings side by side.

What emerged is an exhibition in 4 parts whose diverse traces could be found at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design Library, University of British Columbia Art + Architecture + Planning Library, the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, and Vancouver Art Gallery Library. Each institution was seen as a unique archive of information, referencing a number of identified artists whose bibliographic record was being re-inscribed in a new context. Elucidating this research project is an accompanying card with the names of all the selected artists (purposely listed in an almost-alphabetical order):

Carl Andre, Vito Acconci, Giovanni Anselmo, Art & Language, David Askevold, John Baldessari, Iain Baxter&, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Stanley Brouwn, Daniel Buren, Alan Charlton, Hanne Darboven, Luciano Fabro, Dan Flavin, Hamish Fulton, Gilbert & George, Dan Graham, Hans Haacke, Donald Judd, On Kawara, Joseph Kosuth, David Lamelas, Barry Le Va, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Gordon Matta-Clark, Mario Merz, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Richard Serra, Michael Snow, Keith Sonnier, Ed Ruscha, Robert Smithson, Lawrence Weiner, Stephan Willats, Ian Wilson.

Next to the card, one would find a selection of publications related to the above artists or lists of bibliographic records from the library in question; a sample of the bibliography can be viewed on Artspeak’s website, a space where an extension of this exhibition simultaneously took place in the form of Finite + Infinite exhibition in 3 parts. While Finite + Infinite part of the show could be said to be more visual in nature, Close Connections was not as densely textual as could be anticipated. CAUSA made an excellent use of display cases at each library space and curated captivating book and ephemera displays. At the Art + Architecture + Planning library at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, for example, CAUSA showcased a unique catalogue produced by Lucy Lippard for the  955,000 exhibition as well as intriguing minimalist text-works by a number of other internationally recognized artists (in fact, this display might be still up, despite the exhibition’s official end date). At the Emily Carr University of Art + Design Library, selected publications were exhibited in the Library Window Gallery, main floor display case and mezzanine reading room, where they were simply showcased on a table, allowing for direct interaction with the materials.

In choosing different display methods for the retrieved publications (even though these could often be affected by the preservational and administrative restrictions of the particular institution) and in presenting their findings on-site rather than in a single gallery space, CAUSA created micro-exhibitions that each told an incomplete story of a specific time period as well as specific artists. Many interesting reflections can be drawn from such a study, depending on what perspectives one brings to the table.

From an art perspective, it re-contextualizes a past practice, reviving and re-formulating it, while vicariously commenting on the present state of the arts. From the Library and Information Science perspective, it sheds light on incredible value of certain collections, celebrates the print in a largely digital age, points to the evident gaps in collection management and the possibility of bridging these gaps through inter-library networks of resources. From an Educational perspective, one could say that it intrigues and insights intellectual curiosity, inspires and challenges information literacy at both textual and visual levels, and creates interdisciplinary oases that integrate literature, curatorial practice, art, history, and theory.

From CAUSA’s perspective, more similar projects are needed to activate spaces and knowledge, which, perhaps, can be achieved by creating alternative library spaces in the form of such specialized displays. This position is reflective of CAUSA’s broader vision and philosophical ruminations as expressed by David Bellman. At the CAG, Bellman mentioned that he is concerned with the lack of specialized knowledge and the demise of connoisseurship on the cultural front. With public libraries wanting to reach out to the broader audiences and to get as many people in as they can, with e-books focusing mostly on contemporary issues and with specialized libraries losing funding and support, Bellman fears that there is going to be a great gap in the future education.

While these concerns are realistic, it is worth believing that projects such as the Close Connections will continue to emerge and will thus contribute to further reflections on the nature of knowledge, intellectual and cultural values as well as education within cultural institutions and beyond, while simultaneously connecting different institutions so that they may communicate and act upon issues of dire importance.

For a comprehensive visual documentation of the exhibition, you may browse through the images on the Artspeak’s Finite + Infinite page (you have to press “previous” or “next” below the current image to view additional photos).