L.09.7: READ piece

This is more of an invitation than an assignment.  Over the past year or so, I’ve been collecting the letters R-E-A-D, such as you would find at Michael’s or similar establishments, to display in my media center.

So far, all I’ve done is just prop them up, but a seventh set I bought recently got me to thinking: why not turn them into sculpture?

The invitation/challenge is to take one of these sets—or any other set you might find or create—and turn it into something visually interesting.

Here are the sets.  I have included my GAE membership card for scale.

These are 4″ tall wooden letters. The book is 9″ tall and could just as well be laid on its side.

Foam, 7″ tall.

Cardboard, hollow, 8″ tall.

Metal, open back, 6″ tall.

Plywood, 8″ tall.

Pressboard, 9″ tall.

Here are some potential display spaces.

The entrance to the library: the 32″ band of carpet at the top of the wall, the 36″ airspace, the 27″x92″ window.

The main area.  The 32″ carpet band goes all around the space, and the 36″ airspace is available.

The classroom/reference area: the orange wall is 37″ tall and is negotiable.  I need for the posters up top to remain where they are.

The stacks.  The blue wall is 52″ tall.  There’s a second stacks area where the wall is green, and it’s much the same.  The framed posters are hung, but everything is negotiable.  No airspace in the stacks: the ceiling is much lower and dangly bits would be too enticing.

There are two of these yellow columns in the room.  Three sides of each column are available.

This is a little glass display case in case anyone wanted to go all Damien Hirst on me.  It’s 14″ square, and each “story” is 12″ tall.

If you would like to inspect the space and choose a site for your work, just let me know.

Paint. Wire.  String. Papier-maché. Wood.

Freestanding. Wall-mounted. Suspended.

Ultra-modern.  Minimalist. Baroque. Figurative.  Clean. Messy.  Sleek. Intricate.

Sendakian. Willemsesque. Warholian. Nevelsonish.

Refer to reading in general. Or to a specific genre.  Or book.  Or eschew allusion altogether.

The idea would be to create something that is artistically compelling to the children who encounter it.  Astonish them. Intrigue them.  Delight them.  It doesn’t have to be “kid-friendly.”  It has to be right.  Turn my media center into a gallery for contemporary art.

If you want merely to submit a design for something fabulous, do that.  Post it here, and I’ll eventually get around to making it.