Books as Art – or At Least Partially

By • Oct 6th, 2008 • Category: 26th Story, Big Ideas

Time Out New York reported on an interesting “literary” art project in their last issue:

679x600otcartdoeringerfreeb1Free Books
What it is: A box of free books, each purposely missing its last few pages
What it means: “I’m playing with the functional aspect of something versus its value as art,” explains artist Eric Doeringer. “By destroying its value as an actual book, I’m transforming it into a work of art.”

Art really is in the eye of the beholder. While I admire the Doeringer’s creativity, as someone who might actually pick up a “free book,” I’m not sure I would really appreciate the artistic value in getting to the last chapter of a book and finding it missing. What about you?

Sarah

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  • http://blog.oup.com/ Cassie

    Ohhh, that would piss me off. This isn’t art, it’s desecration of someone else’s art. Unless Doeringer thinks writing isn’t an art?

  • Sarah Burningham

    I had the same thought. And I was wondering if authors might feel even more strongly than readers… To have your art (a book) destroyed has it’s own implications of what art is and what it is not.

  • AJT

    It’s art – it’s just not good art.

  • http://nonemoreblack.tumblr.com Michael Gawley

    I think this is a much cooler way to turn books into art: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/09/bittersweet-art-of-cutting-up-books.html

  • Ryan

    There are plenty of ways to fulfill the artist’s stated intention, and most of them would quickly announce themselves as art objects outside of functionality. I’d hazard that not a single person who read until the end, only to find the last few pages missing, would arrive at any of the artist’s conclusions… they’d just think someone randomly/maliciously ripped out a few pages.