Library

Library was the 2006/7 theme at Proteus Gowanus, as concerns about the book captivate the minds of people in many disciplines today, from the history of libraries and their elaborate cataloging systems, to the challenges that are facing libraries as they confront the web. As the role of libraries, and of the book itself, is displaced, the visual, conceptual and metaphorical implications of the theme have inspired work in the arts and have led to a flowering of small alternative libraries around the country.

Contributors to Library include: Nick DeFriez, Harell Fletcher, David Gatten, Nina Katchadourian, Jeanne Liotta, Tracy Priest, Jeffrey Schiff and others. In addition, the exhibit included archival installations by the Brooklyn Museum Library, the Brooklyn Historical Society, Cabinet Magazine, the Encyclopedia Project, the Institute for Figuring, J&L Books, Kentler International Drawing Space, Purgatory Pie Press, Reanimation Library, and Ugly Duckling Presse.