A LIBRARY performance
Do we need to sit in a chair to read a book?
Can we take part in an animated discussion and keep it silent?
What happens if we turn theoretical knowledge from books into practice on the spot?
Library Stories is a concept developed in order to question and highlight what the shared space in a public library is and could be.
In this performance we experiment with what a library means to us, to the public, the users, the visitors and staff of the library. We investigate the library and its function as an enclosed public space where we all follow certain rules, spoken or unspoken, and take part in the specific rituals of the library.
In Library Stories, React will add an element of surprise into the predictable library environment. We use what is already there to create new and unexpected situations. We will follow some rules and bend some others. We will make the common become uncommon by allowing fantasy and drama to exist outside of the paper pages. We do not make more noise than a common library visitor, but we will cause a reaction…
Library Stories is a library performance by React Public Performances, where we play with the idea of performing without calling for attention.
The whole performance takes place inside the library space, without disturbing or disrupting its usage for the public. It consists of a group of small, “invisible” artistic actions that travel through the whole space and that can be enjoyed for a short moment or followed with curiosity for a longer period.
Premiered in Västerås City Library in 2011 (Sweden).
Duration: about 60 minutes.
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