My Bookshelf

Thursday 9 August 2012

aMAZEme: A Literary Labyrinth


The Olympics are almost over but the London 2012 Festival is still in full swing. One of the latest features is an installation at The Clore Ballroom in the Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank. This art piece is more specifically a part of the Southbank Centre's Festival of the World.

Watch this video to see the construction of aMAZEme, a maze constructucted out of 250,000 books. The books, old and new, have come from all over the place, including remaindered copies, publishing houses and 150,000 are on loan from Oxfam.

aMAZE me was designed and created by artists Marcos Saboya and Gualter Pupo of Brazil. It is said they were inspired by the writer JL Borge. To make this literary labyrinth a reality, the artists worked together with the production company, HungryMan, and built the structure that now covers over 500 square metres and reaches a height of 2.5 metres.

Aside from just being a maze, the installation includes performance, images and cinema. aMAZE me is open to the public who are invited to discover 'new textures, images and imotions' as they become completely entangled in the world of books. Touch screens have been installed so that users can look up information as well as watch selected footage which will also be screened throughout the maze.

The maze will be open until 26th August and will feature daily performances from literary figures. Check it out!

Credit: Marcos Saboya / Gualter Pupo / Hungryman Projects 2012

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