Book Sculpture by Anouk Kruithof

This is a collection of over 3500 colorful paged books gathered by Anouk Kruithof. Out of adoration for books, she created this traveling sculpture of stacked books that which has been built and rebuilt in no particular order. Each wall of books creates another beautiful piece of art to admire. They have been displayed in museums throughout Berlin, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. A special video loops nearby the display putting the wall in motion.
The books collapse on themselves in the video. It’s kind of sad and disappointing to see them fall to ruin on top of each other, unfolded open with pages exposed, vulnerable on the floor. It almost seems wrong. Books are something we have learned to respect and store carefully on shelves. However, the restoration of the book wall is therapeutic as they rebuild themselves in the video. It is pleasing to know they aren’t left to lie there to “die.”
Some say you could interpret this as a dedication to the beauty in books that has been lost. As the featured subject, these books remind us that the sound of turning pages can never be replaced by electronic amenities. There is a clever revealing of the tendency for books to loose their spotlight in society which they have held so tightly throughout history.