CUT PIECES

In this project I interrogate the space inside the library; visually representing book vandalism, acquisition policies as well as the politics behind library classification systems. Every librarian knows that books in libraries are vandalized for a number of reasons: vindictiveness, censorship, acquisition, sloth and for ideological reasons. For example, a page may be torn from a book, because there is no copier or a patron may be unable to obtain a library card or embarrassed to borrow the book. By photographing the art and photography books vandalized in a university’ collection, this project “Cut Pieces” attempts to classify the types of images and the mutilation techniques of images taken from books. The Library Bill of Rights states: “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.”

There are circa twenty images in this series sized 8" x 10". Each image shows the spoiled pages: sometimes carefully cut to remove an image without further damaging the book and occassionally torn out in a destructive manner by using a ball-point pen as a cutting device and damaging many pages. As far as possible, I have identified the missing image and I have also included the library classification call number - this information is included as part of the image. A selection of the images are shown below: