The End(s) of the Library

The End(s) of the Library is a series of commissioned exhibitions and a discursive program with Julieta Aranda, Fia Backström & R. Lyon, David Horvitz, Christian Philipp Müller, and The Serving Library taking place at the Goethe-Institut New York Library from October 30, 2012 to June 21, 2013. Organized by Jenny Jaskey, the contributors will address how previous library configurations have given way to altered forms and revised values in the digital age, emphasizing the fact that the library is neither a monolithic system nor an abandoned utopia, but a site demanding new readings of its organizational frameworks: an institution whose ends are without end.

The End(s) of the Library situates itself at a moment when libraries are experiencing a profound paradigm shift. Historically, the library has positioned itself as a physical site to collectively exchange books, an alternative to market-based systems, as well as a heterotopic social space preserved for the public good. Yet with the rise of digital distribution, experience-driven information providers, as well as evolving notions of the public sphere, libraries face new questions about their identities. Rather than idealize the library in crisis by offering a nostalgic look at its past or recuperative speculation about its future, the invited artists propose a number of divergent positions from within the library, reformatting its resources to new ends.

Curated by Jenny Jaskey Design by common room and Geoff Han

The End(s) of the Library
Ort: Goethe-Institut New York Library, Spring Street
Kurator: Jenny Jaskey

Künstler: Julieta Aranda, Fia Backström & R. Lyon, David Horvitz,
Christian Philipp Müller, The Serving Library