bāc-tā-gon + leap magazine celebrate printed matter with the bibliorium

bāc-tā-gon + leap magazine celebrate printed matter in the bibliorium
images courtesy of bāc-tā-gon

for beijing design week 2014, bāc-tā-gon projects produced ‘the bibliorium’ in partnership with leap magazine, as an ode to the ways in which print was first experienced. the site-specific installation included a grove of book-trees by beijing-based artist, chen zhiyuan, the full archives of leap and chutzpah and the launch of bactagon’s new independent journal, bajia. acknowledging the endangered nature of printed matter in the digital age, ‘the bibliorium’ celebrates the worth of certain pre-modern notions, with books being a collectible object, bookcases as an altar and frame for collections, and vendors as a guide to learning.

the site-specific installation included a grove of book-trees
image © designboom

operating as a contemporary reading room in the historic dashilar district, the curated interior intended to explore the expansive function, history and current use of print. local audiences were engaged with a three-day symposium, including a curated library with selections from the archives of timezone 8, works by performance, conceptual, and visual artists and also a screening room for video artwork looking at the intersection of printed matter and animation.

the space served as a contemporary reading room

‘it serves as an –orium in the truest of senses – a functional space for the community to gather, discuss and share thought and knowledge – to reveal bits of the self and perhaps a larger, more collective whole. and, uses the ‘biblio-‘ sphere as a vehicle to blur the lines between art and design, video and literature,’ says bāc-tā-gon.

the project acknowledges the endangered nature of printed matter in the digital age

detail of one of the tree trunks appropriated to function as a display of the printed materials
image © designboom

detail of one of the reading rooms
image © designboom

the screening room for video artwork explored the intersection of printed matter and animation

the bibliorium team