The Archive Series are investigations on space and books, aiming to blur the borders between art and design. Clearly non functional, they aim to appeal to the senses, creating a narrative which more often than not, reaches the absurd.
Departing from ideas of density and micro spaces, they aim to explore the traditional relationships that humans have to books. Private collections have existed for centuries, but when this is added to nomadic behaviour, curious contradictions arise; this is the area studied by Archive II. How can an individual travel with it’s own library, given that books are so heavy? Is this an absurdity? Archive II is a nomadic library, an impossible transport system and an intimate space. Inspired by ancient travelling libraries from the Far East, which visited courts and cities, Archive II transforms this into a "micro room", where walking and reading coexist as refuge and transport in the imagination.
The Archive Series has been exhibited at the Royal Danish Art Academy Fall Show 2005 with the support of the Danish Arts Agency, and at Traneudstilling in 2007 and in Beijing at the Notch 09 culture festival.
Archive II is owned and on exhibition at the University of Roskilde Main Library.
Archive I is a weight balance library,the readers chair is elevated in proportion to the amount of books in the shelves.
Archive II is a circular library for the nomad book collector, allowing the user to step inside, and walk away with half a ton of books.
Archive III is a censored book stand, the books close suddenly if anyone approaches the reading stand.
“As a child, I was introduced to an old friend of the family. I have never met anyone who has read so many books, could remember so many sources or quote so many authors as he could. Many years later, while studying at university, I would often call him for suggestions with bibliography regarding the most varied subjects. We would always meet in a café or a park, and my curiosity grew with time. What was his library like? I imagined him having endless rooms filled with books. Finally, one day, I convinced him to meet at his house, and to my deep disappointment, there were no books to be seen. My impatience took over and I asked him where he kept all his books? ”I only own the book I read at the moment” he answered. “When I finish them, I go for a walk, pick a stranger from the crowd, and give the book away.”
EVERY 30 SECONDS A BOOK IS PUBLISHED IN THE WORLD
THE AVERAGE PUBLICATION PRINTS 5000 COPIES
EVERY MINUTE 10 000 BOOKS ARE SENT TO PRINT
The average reader can read about 240 words per minute
A 300 page book normally takes 9 hours to read, non stop
I you read while you walk, you can read a book in about 43 kilometers
