Tim Schwartz and Sandy Skoglund: Creative Conversations on the Library
The book on paper may seem a relic. But does that mean books have lost their purpose? DU’s choice to house less-frequently borrowed books offsite redefines library space for other academic and social purposes; research reveals a similar history of controversy over the use of libraries and the place of books on campus going back to the 1930s. Tim Schwartz and Sandy Skoglund worked with student teams to engage in these historic contemporary conversations on the use of University library space. The VMG celebrates the re-opening of DU’s library (Anderson Academic Commons) with these two artist projects.
Sandy Skoglund’s visually striking theatrical installation and Tim Schwartz’s data-driven interactive environment explore questions surrounding the debate about digital books versus bound volumes. How do we realistically plan for the future of our libraries while responsibly protecting the past? What are the risks we face when the written word is transformed into electronic data and the original document is no longer accessible? With fewer books left on shelves to browse, what role will the library play? What are we in danger of losing when we transition from the physical to the facsimile?
The following documents and research were compiled by students in the Curatorial Practicum, “Thinking and Writing for Exhibitions”, taught by Dan Jacobs. This material was assembled in preparation for the exhibition, “Sandy Skoglund and Tim Schwartz: Creative Conversations on the Library” at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery, 2013.
Members of the 2011 Curatorial Practicum Class: Kristin Bueb, Hannah Chaussee, Kelsey Dignum, Kaitlin Dowgin, Anna Estes, Cristina Gonzales, Kirsten Johnson, Nessa Kerr, Jesse Laird Ortega, Leslie Moorman, Hannah Moskowitz
Members of the 2013 Curatorial Practicum Class: Miranda Cantrall, Kelly Flemister, Moira Heffernan, Kate Landers, Megan Lynch, Natalie Metzger, Eric Nord, Nina Peterson, Michael Quiver, Jr., Alaina Rook, Kim Sweeney
Events:
Sandy Skoglund
Artist Performance: April 11th, 2013 5-5: 30 PM
Project Reception with Artist Talk: 5:30-7 PM
Installation artist Sandy Skoglund turns the familiar into something strange and unknown through object placement, repetition and coloration. Her installation focuses on the reuse and reinvention of books that have been discarded. No longer do books sit idly on the shelves; they take on lives of their own
Tim Schwartz
Opens Thursday, April 18, 2013
Project Reception with Artist Talk: 5-7PM
Conceptual artist Tim Schwartz is known for blending old and new technologies, often studying the losses that occur with digitization—and what are the effects of this loss? Mastering the very system that he often critiques, he creates algorithms that help us to highlight gaps in the transfer of information. In this installation, Schwartz’s work reflects upon what is lost when libraries go digital.
