This exhibition shows three paper-book sculptures, part of a set of 10 sculptures which were anonymously donated by a mystery artist to a number of literary institutions throughout Edinburgh. The three sculptures featured here are those gifted to Central Library, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The mystery of the book sculptures began in March 2011. A small tree was carved from a book and stood upon a second book. It sat with a small gilded egg next to it. A card accompanied it and referenced the Scottish Poetry Library, where the threshold of the building sees the words of Patrick Geddes 'By leaves we live' in stone. The card read: " It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree..We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books.a book is so much more than pages full of words.This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas. a gesture (poetic maybe?)"
From there the sculptures came thick and fast. June saw both the National Library of Scotland and the Filmhouse in Edinburgh receive sculpture gifts. July saw the Scottish Storytelling centre get theirs and August saw Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust, Edinburgh International Book festival and Edinburgh's Central Library all become grateful recipients of the artist.
In November, the Scottish Poetry Library received another - supposed to be the final sculpture that brought the story back to the beginning. It was soon realised however, that it was only the eighth that had been discovered. The mystery was soon solved when the National Museum of Scotland and the Writers museum on Lady Stairs close, both received the missing two sculptures.
Each sculpture were made principally from cut books, paper, string, PVA glue and sometimes some wire armature, some had a few extras such as knitting needles included. They all appear designed with a mind towards the place that they were being gifted to; for example the tree left at the Scottish Poetry Library was inspired by the place itself and the work has become known as the Poetree. Each sculpture was left in a quiet part of the building, left to be discovered by the staff or patrons who went there.
The artist remains a mystery figure. The artist remains unknown; all that we know is that it is a female who (In her own, anonymous words, taken from the book giftED) explains the purpose behind her project:
'At its heart is a woman, who had been a girl, whose life would have been less rich had she been unable to wander freely into libraries, art galleries and museums. A woman who, now all grow, still wants access to these places and yes, wants them for her children and maybe one day her children's children.'
The mystery artist has continued, however. Since her initial 10 sculptures, set she has branched out and more have been discovered. Book Week Scotland, in November 2012, saw five more sculptures delivered to recipients such as the Glasgow School of Art, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway and a sculpture inspired by Compton Mackenzie's classic novel Whisky Galore, was discovered on South Uist, on the island's Am Politician Lounge Bar. Recently the Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature Trust received a second sculpture so watch this space for a few more in the future.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries