Library of Open Books
This room installation complements the "Lesezimmer" (reading room) event space of the Hotel Galántha by adding a library of object-books distributed across the existing red bookshelves. The individual object-books, meticulously crafted by Leo Lunger from epoxy resin or concrete castings, only resemble books in their outward form. As compact objects, they cannot be opened: everything is visible only from the outside. Yet, at the same time, these object-books are always open.
The concrete books are often characterized by fine relief drawings, shaped from woodcuts, and sometimes include colored pencils embedded within the compact objects. In the transparent resin casts, pencil drawings on paper, drawing instruments, and other artistic materials can be discovered. This book-like nature of the installation echoes the way 18th-century wood libraries (Xylotheken) were made from the wood of the trees depicted in the books.
An analogy to taxidermy emerges through the preservation and exhibition of sketches and objects. The drawings are captured, and the fleeting nature of thoughts is, in a way, immortalized. They also evoke the airy nature of birdcages, whose interiors stand as parallel universes, awaiting exploration.
