Anton Hecht is a UK artist who makes work across platforms. His work to create “linked communities through art concepts and across art forms often with the inclusion of technology” is interesting to us for many reasons, but the project that really caught our eye is the Flipbooks in Libraries project.
The Flipbooks in Libraries project started at Gateshead Libraries in the UK. Local illustrators were invited to create illustrated flipbooks in the margins of books that were then replaced on library shelves (sanctioned by library staff, of course!) as an installation that could tour many library locations. Patrons were given a list of the books and sent into the stacks to find the works of art. Anton Hecht, the mind behind the Flipbooks in Libraries project, answered our questions about this unique and engaging installation. ~ Laura
Library as Incubator Project (LAIP): What was the impetus for starting the Flipbooks in Libraries project?
Anton Hecht (AH): The impetus was that we have been doing some projects lately where we approach animation in a more installation and art orientated way, and have made a number of gallery and internet works, and this progressed into the idea of putting animations into the edges of library books, as a further development of animation as installation.
The idea came from a story I heard a while back about a playwright, Jo Orton, who was well known here in the UK in the 60s, and he went to court for defacing library books and that kind of got me thinking about doing a kind of undercover art show, and giving flip books a bit of a concept.
The library here in Gateshead were doing an art book show, getting artists who work with books to do a show in the gallery space, and I was accepted to put this in the actual library itself.
Photo courtesy of Anton Hecht.
LAIP: How did library staff get involved? Was there any push back from library staff when the idea was presented?
AH: The books we used were second hand ones we bought so we didn’t use actual library books themselves, just in case, and then they were put into the system and on the shelves. the library staff were really into the whole thing, as Libraries here are under pressure at the mo, by government cuts so anything that gets people in and is a bit different for them they get really excited about. It got some good press for the library involved, and also some new people visiting, so they were really behind it. We also did some workshops alongside the show, in the library, so it made the library a bit of an exciting space while it was happening, also the show was part of the Gateshead Council Book Art show, and the library is run by the council, so supporting the show was part of their duties.
Photo courtesy of Anton Hecht.
LAIP: How did you recruit and find illustrators for this project?
Anton is interested in bringing the Flipbooks in Libraries projects to libraries in the United States and other communities outside of the UK. If you’re interested in bringing the Flipbooks in Libraries to your local library, send Anton an email at antnhec
See more of Anton Hecht’s work at his website, antonhecht.wordpress.com
from Library as Incubator Project » Library as Incubator Project | Library as Incubator Project http://ift.tt/1dfPkaY
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1HdSl9I
No comments:
Post a Comment