Penn Libraries opens two new exhibits exploring physicality, movement of books in Van Pelt Library

Penn Libraries has two new exhibits on display this semester in Van Pelt-Dietrich Library that explore the physicality and perception of books. 

The exhibits, titled "Material World" and "The Movement of Books," will be open to the public until the end of the semester. 

"Material World," located on the first floor of Van Pelt, features a collection of books made from atypical materials ranging from bubble wrap to ribbons. It was inspired by the Fisher Fine Arts Materials Library, a collection of both historical and modern materials housed in the lower level of the Fisher Fine Arts Library. 

Senior conservation technician Valeria Kremser curated the exhibit in collaboration with the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. Kremser, a member of the Guild since 2009 and current co-chair, said that she aimed to challenge the idea of what constitutes a book by tasking artists with creating a book out of any material except for paper. The resulting creations are referred to as "artist books." 

“Information now is so digital, but you can’t experience an artist book digitally, so people who make books are moving into the artist book territory," Kremser said. "You can’t view art on a computer unless it’s computer-based, and books are supposed to be held and experienced on a personal level. I think that book arts is a way to keep the tradition of holding books alive." 

"The Movement of Books" is an interactive exhibit that provides viewers with the opportunity to physically hold the book on display. It is located on the sixth floor of Van Pelt and was curated by Dot Porter, a Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies curator of digital humanities. 

The exhibit explores the tactile experience of holding a book and how a book moves, both while being read and across time and space. One wall of the exhibit features a video of different items in the exhibit being held and examined, allowing the viewer to view the movement of each book. 

Those who tour the exhibit are also given the opportunity to physically interact with a small selection of books. Interactive books range from an accordion book to a book automaton made by Christine Kemp and Tex Kang, program coordinators for Technology and Play at Penn Libraries, which causes 3D figures in a wooden book to move as a lever is turned.  

“I want students to think about books differently after exploring this exhibit. Just pay attention to the way each book moves. I really wanted to make an exhibit that was scholarly, and you learn a little something, but it’s also fun,” Porter said. 

While the two exhibits were not created collaboratively, their themes overlap as both aim to redefine perception of what makes a book. 

“After I walked through the exhibits, I started looking at the books in the library stacks in a different way,” Wharton sophomore Joshua Kwon said. “[The exhibits] really opened my eyes to how much artistry there is in every book.” 

This spring, Van Pelt will open its newest exhibit, Revolution at Penn?, which will explore the University during its founding and the era of American Revolution.