Present Library is inspired by an artwork housed within a wider artist collection and residency based on the island of Gozo—mythologically tied to the nymph Calypso, whose story speaks to themes of retreat, stillness, and presence. These ideas form the foundation of the project: the value of meditative withdrawal, the richness of the present moment, and the inner life that reading can awaken. In an age where attention is constantly scattered, reading becomes an act of resistance—of slowness, focus, and reflection. The residency’s setting, and its mythic associations, remind us of the importance of pausing, of stepping outside the noise, and allowing space for thought to unfold.
As part of this, readers are invited to contribute a one-word synopsis of their reading—just one word. Why? Because brevity sharpens attention. Each word becomes a mark of presence, a fragment of experience. Taken together, they form a kind of collective vigil: individual contributions that slowly coalesce into something larger. The gesture is inspired in part by Kevin Harman’s One Pixel Portrait—a practice of trusting that a single, small offering can still hold resonance—and also by the imagined idea of Van Gogh’s Starry Night existing only as a title for a century, sparking curiosity and reflection even in its absence. This one-word exercise is a quiet act of participation—encouraging reflection, engagement, and a kind of mindful witnessing of what reading gives us.
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