Mark Dion - The Schildbach Xylotheque 'Wood Library'

Mark Dion - Schildbach Xylotheque 'Wood Library'

The Schildbach Xylotheque is a 'wood library' located in the Natural History Museum in Kassel, Germany. Collected by Carl Schildbach from 1771 to 1799 it is a unique collection of 530 'books' made from tree samples taken from 441 local tree's and arranged encyclopedically.

For dOCUMENTA (13) American artist Mark Dion was commissioned to design a permanent new display for the Xylotheque in the Museum. The Oak hexagonal chamber catalogues the collection placing each sample in a panel relating to its continent of origin. Dion has added six new 'books' to the collection made during a series of international residencies, the first was made from one of Beuys 7000 Oaks (presented and planted in 1982 for dOCUMENTA 7) symbolically completing the encyclopedic endeavor to represent each continent. Inserted into the reverse of the panels are five images made from wood representing Africa, Asia, Oceania, North and South America

Dion's work often explores scientific methods of taxonomies, and classification systems of museums of biology, archeology and biochemistry. Often skeptical of dominant subjective understandings of the world his work looks at the range of possible histories now on offer to contemporary society.

Pierre Levy - Collective Intelligence

Pierre Levy - Collective Intelligence, Mankind's emerging world in cyberspace, 

published 1994

In Pierre Levy's most popular book to date, 'Collective Intelligence, Mankind's emerging world in cyberspace', he explains that thanks to the digital network there has been the development of of mass collaboration of all human intellects resulting in the creation of a collective intelligence.

As a well known philosopher thinking around the implications of the internet and digital communications Levy has written extensively about the proliferation of virtual 'cognitive workers' as a result of the developing technological, digital and virtual conditions.


"What is collective intelligence? It is a form of universally distributed intelligence, constantly enhanced, coordinated in real time, and resulting in the effective mobilization of skills… My initial premise is based on the notion of a universally distributed intelligence. No one knows everything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity… New communications systems should provide members of a community with the means to coordinate their interactions within the same virtual universe of knowledge. This is not simply a matter of modeling the conventional physical environment, but of of enabling members of delocalized communities to interact within a mobile landscape of signification… Before we can mobilize skills, we have to identify them. And to do so, we have to recognize them in all their diversity… The ideal of collective intelligence implies the technical, economic, legal, and human enhancement of a universally distributed intelligence that will unleash a positive dynamic of recognition and skills mobilization." - Pierre Levy 

James Ferris - Ligatures

 

James Ferris Ligatures 2009

Ligatures is a bookwork by British artist James Ferris, published by Mute. In 2008 the artist set himself the task of wearing a different tie each day for the year. The book documents each tie visually in simple black & white, alongside a series of accompanying anecdotes, aphorisms, comments and witticisms, forming a unique record of the artists thoughts and sartorial selections in 2008.

Ligatures is on show at Limoncello, London, until June 4th 2011 as part of the Ryan Gander's Young British Art .