Anonymous Paper Sculptures

In March 2011, an anonymous artist left the first of ten intricate paper sculptures at various arts based locations around Edinburgh, Scotland. The Scottish Poetry Library found a paper sculpted tree mounted on a book with a tag addressed to the library’s Twitter name. The tag read: “It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree.… … We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)”

Other sculpture gifts and notes followed. In June 2011, the National Library of Scotland received a sculpture of a gramophone and then Edinburgh’s Filmhouse found a tiny cinema made of books. In July, the Scottish Storytelling found a paper dragon sitting on a window sill. In August, two more sculptures appeared at the Edinburgh Book Festival, and another at the Central lending library. In September, more sculptures were found and a final one with a note indicating the completion of the artists journey:

“It’s important that a story is not too long ……does not become tedious …….You need to know when to end a story,’ she thought. Often a good story ends where it begins. This would mean a return to the Poetry Library. The very place where she had left the first of the ten. Back to those who had loved that little tree, and so encouraged her to try again …….and again. Some had wondered who it was, leaving these small strange objects. Some even thought it was a ‘he’! ……. As if! Others looked among Book Artists, rather good ones actually…….But they would never find her there. For though she does make things, this was the first time she had dissected books and had used them simply be- cause they seemed fitting….Most however chose not to know….. which was the point really. The gift, the place to sit, to look, to wonder, to dream….. of the impossible maybe…….A tiny gesture in support of the special places…..So, here, she will end this story, in a special place … A Poetry Library ….. where they are well used to ‘anon.’”

Source: DailyArtFixx.com