The Library is open  

 

Despina Zacharopoulou, “The Library is open”, 108 hrs (5 days) long durational performance, 

event in the context of Inhabiting CSM curated by Simon Banos, 

6-10 of March 2017, Central Saint Martins Library, London, UK

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Photos by Simon Banos // © Despina Zacharopoulou

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"After being invited by the architect and curator Simon Banos to inhabit CSM, my immediate response was to inhabit the CSM library with a 5 day (108 hrs) long 

durational performance. Based on the time protocol that the CSM library is open 24/7 from Monday 10am to Friday 10pm, I decided to conduct an experiment and see how it would be to exist in this space for this specific time frame. My main goal was to investigate if the non stop 5 day inhabiting of a space of accumulate knowledge par excellence would allow me to also access a particular space in language where written language becomes flesh and flesh becomes written language. To put it differently: to access a space where the verbal becomes non-verbal and the non-verbal becomes verbal. My methodology had two different trajectories: on one hand I was typing on a laptop and projecting through a beamer and in real time my stream of thought, the dialogues created with the library 

books and with other people from the space. On the other hand I existed in the space with my physical presence while standing, walking, sleeping, eating in the library."

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Despina Zacharopoulou