Book Sculptures left all across the City of Literature

Mystery book sculpture artist blazes a trail with amazing gifts

You don't have to tell us we live in a city overflowing with wonderful literature and talented people - it is a story we tell daily. Yet every now and then even we are stunned to see what Edinburgh throws up next.

This summer, an anonymous artist has been delighting Edinburgh's literary scene by leaving a series of intricate book sculptures on the doorsteps of various local institutes and art groups that support literature. They are usually left in quiet areas with nothing more than an unsigned "thank you" note attached, patiently waiting to catch the attention of unsuspecting staff.

Once found, those quiet corners frequently become well-visited spaces, something the Scottish Poetry Library quickly discovered when it stumbled across one of these intricate and unexpected gifts on their premises, way back in March.

The moment word of their gift got out, curious folk from all over Edinburgh's Literary Quarter were grabbing their coats and heading their way. We heard it was beautiful. Not many were prepared for just how beautiful it was.

In Support of Libraries, Books, Words, Ideas

It initially looked like an inspired one-off gift to the Scottish Poetry Library by a well-wisher, but throughout the summer excited yelps could be heard coming from the buildings of no less than six further literary organisations. So now, at the beginning of September, the city finds itself with no less than seven of these remarkable gifts from the anonymous book sculpture artist, whose identity has remained a mystery throughout.

Apart from the manner of their arrival, all gifts have one further thing in common: all come with the same tag attached.... in support of libraries, books, words, ideas. From time to time we all like to remind ourselves how important words are to the world around us. Not many have the ability to make their point in such an eye-catching and creative way.

This bout of utterly creative book vandalism started much earlier this year, when no one had an inkling what a remarkable season the summer of 2011 would become.

MARCH.... sculpture #1 surfaces at the Scottish Poetry Library

Staff at the Scottish Poetry Library were taken aback when they wandered into their library and found a delicate sculpture sitting on a table, seemingly abandoned. There was no one around, not a hint where it came from, or who had left it.

The sculpture, on closer inspection, had been crafted by taking a knife to a paper book in a pretty imaginative way. What was left standing had become a paper tree, mounted on a book. An equally fragile paper egg was lying next to it. The only clue that came with it was scribbled on the gift tag:

Attention then turned to the egg laying under the tree - now known as their "Poetree"-, which contained bits of paper with various words. The poetry staff embraced the challenge and quickly puzzled out that these were the words to "A Trace of Wings" by Edwin Morgan.

Not exactly your average day in the office. Where the sculpture had come from was a total mystery. But that evening, several SPL people went home feeling very chuffed with the world.

A Case of Deja-Vu

News of the discovery of the generous gift discovery spread quickly through the literary scene, and gathered a bit of media attention. People went out of their way to get a good look close-up and staff were happy to show it.  Local media got wind of it too, and made a bit of noise about it. no one came forward to claim it. The generous soul who wanted to remain anonymous remained anonymous.  Mission accomplished. Or so we thought.

MARCH.... Sculpture #2 appears at the National Library of Scotland

At this point, only the SPL staff knew what it feels like, to stumble into something as beautiful as this, but late in June the staff at the National Library of Scotland went through the exact same experience. Someone had taken Ian Rankin's Exit Music, and transmogrified it into an old-fashioned gramophone player, with a coffin to boot. And then left it at the NLS for staff to find, with only a gift tag attached, which read:

Well, that got tongues wagging. Just what Edinburgh needs: a literary mystery to unravel! The same people who had went down to the SPL to see their Poetree made their own quick exit from work, and sneaked off to the NLS to see their gift. It was equally delightful. And speculation was rife between those who had seen both, as to who, or what, was behind these two remarkable gifts. A few tentative fingers were pointed in the direction of Ian Rankin himself.

There’s a further Ian Rankin link beyond the obvious one: the coffin that projects from the music box could well be a reference to the tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat and housed in the National Museum of Scotland, a display that inspired an earlier Rankin novel.

The Gift that Keeps On Giving

By know everyone had figured out that someone was saying "thank you" to places dear to him or her, and stressing their general importance to all of us.  And although it was evidently not the one-off act of generousity that it had seemed, but a serial one, no one was predicting that within days a third scuplture would appear, let alone anticipating the place where it would show up. 

MARCH.... Sculpture #3 makes a cameo at the Edinburgh Filmhouse

And this is what is so nice about Edinburgh: literature is everywhere, we all know it, we all promote it, and it means everyone can find it in the places that suit them best. So when someone is making a personal statement and thanks the places they treasure in a very generous way, the choices are bound to be personal. And wrong-footed everyone who had anticipated further gifts, and hazarded a guess. The fourth "literary" location was not a big brick building filled with books and the expectation of silent respect, or a prolific literary organisation, but one of our local art-house cinemas.

The Filmhouse puts quite a bit of effort into highlighting the link between scripts, literature, authors, and film. They frequently have special screenings and guest speakers, and have always readily supported the city's many reading campaigns. And it is also, no doubt, a favourite haunt of whoever is making these sculptures. So the third surprise was placed at their doorstep. Jenny Leask, the cinema’s programme and marketing co-ordinator, said "It got left at the box office counter, and no one knows who left it." Well, join the (select) club.

Their gift is something special indeed. A genuine paper cinema with an audience relaxing in leather book spine seats, captivated by a wild west scene which is, quite literally, unfolding before their eyes.

Most of us were only too happy to make a detour on the way home via The Filmhouse, to see the next chapter in this quickly evolving paper mystery for ourselves -in glorious 3D-. Like the others, the devil is in the detail. On closer inspection, a mini-Ian Rankin was spotted in the paper audience, clutching a bottle of Deuchars, his favourite beer. Two links makes a theme, right? OK, we struggled to think of an Ian Rankin connection with the first sculpture that showed up. But since it doesn't take much to wake the amateur sleuth in us, on the way home, much was made of this Ian Rankin link. Some were wondering if this would now be the last one?

The SPL, NLS and Filmhouse could well be the holy local-entertainment-triangle for whoever was behind them - it certainly looked a trio that would give a certain type of person a lot of pleasure. And who was now going around to give some of that back in a very imaginative way. Certainly no one would be making more of them to give away. One was magnificent. Three? Wow. Just wow.

Ian Rankin was asked some obvious questions, but he replied he was "simply as baffled as everyone else." He did volunteer that the Poetry Library had featured in Exit Music too, as it was the backdrop to one of its scenes. Then again, in Edinburgh, there aren't many places where Rebus has yet to set a foot.

Number Four, or Two... Who is Counting?

A few weeks later Edinburgh's literary grapevine was abuzz again. Staff at the Scottish Storytelling Centre had found a dragon! Now, it is a pretty imaginative lot down there, so we tend to check the Events Calendar to see if they have a "Tall Tales" storytelling session in full swing, when we get bragging claims like that coming our way.

The mysterious donor had struck again - the fourth sculpture had just found a new home. Or better put: the home had found its sculpture, as it was found in a quiet place that doesn't get much attention. So although we count it as #4, the staff themselves are the first to admit they have no idea how long it has been sitting there, and where it really sits within the gift chain.

MARCH.... Sculpture #4 hatches at the Scottish Storytelling Centre

This time the gift was left in a quiet window sill.

Despite the fact that three others had been found before, it does little to diminish the excitement, bewilderment, and level of surprise that people experience when they come across these beauties, and slowly realize that they have been given one too. You don't easily get Storytelling Centre staff lost for words, but this gift did the trick!

Once you read the tag, you know that, sometimes, the things that need to be said, get said:

It certainly was rapidly turning into a summer of visiting the various artistic headquarters in the city. These things are so lovingly crafted that you are happy to walk across town to see them up close.

For their part, the finders are always dead keen to show them off to the world, and at the same time mortified by the thought that an unintended mishap could easily damage these fragile creations.

For weeks the sculpture stood proudly in a central place in the entrance hall of the SSC. You want people to see it. It is far too beautiful to keep it to yourself. Only when it dawned upon the staff that the August festival horde was nigh, and leaving it out to fondle was probably asking for a disaster, did they give it a safer place than "the first thing you see when you come in". It is now nestled their exhibition space.

the conspiracy theorists had a field-day: the dragon's nest was created from Ian Rankin's novel Knots and Crosses.

Then August Came...

...and we all got busy with our respective activities at the Book Festival, Fringe, and other festivals. August doesn't leave much room for anything but the stuff you need to get on with. At the Book Festival, by week two, staff get that hazed look in their eyes, when it's mainly enthusiasm and coffee that keeps things on the rails. It's all about authors and books. It's all about authors and books, right up to the point when someone plonks two more book sculptures on the Edinburgh International Book Festival terrain. Then the day has become a magical day for those involved.

AUG.... Sculpture #5 and #6 appear at Edinburgh International Book Festival

The one addressed to Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust was found on the City of Literature’s information stand. It’s made from a copy of James Hogg’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner and the label reads:

A Guardian reporter asked for the reaction of the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust axis of evil, sorry, I mean staff, Ali Bowden and Anna Burkey. They were particularly struck by the book chosen for their gift. It is a personal favourite to both of them. You can hear that interview here. Andrew Knowles, who discovered the gift for the Edinburgh International Book Festival itself can also be heard,

 

The Edinburgh International Book Festival’s gift was found in the Bookshop by Andrew Knowles, and the label reads:

Overnight, the EIBF and the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust had become the fifth and sixth proud recipients of gifts to the city. And the local Twitter feed went into overdrive. The press took note too, even in a month where reporters don't exactly struggle for a news story from Edinburgh. The attention-drawing sculptures were on display for the remainder of the Book Festival, and the proud recipients were usually close by, keen to show off their gifts to anyone who asked (and didn't ask).

Much to Ian Rankin's relief, these two gifts seemed to be devout of any links with his writings. It looks like the identity of the mystery giver is not that easy to deduce after all. And that is exactly how the recipients prefer it. Not knowing is part of the beauty.

...And August Just Kept Coming...

Astonishingly, it didn't end with two in one month. You'd think it would. But it didn't. Some people's generosity is quite remarkable.

LATE AUGUST.... Sculpture #7 pops up in the Central Library

Edinburgh's seventh papercraft sculpture appeared at the Central Lending Library on George IV Bridge, and must have been dropped off whilst all eyes were firmly fixed on the discovery of the Book Festival couple. It's a large magnifying glass that sits suspended above a book, capturing a line from one of Edwin Morgan's poems. "When I go in I want it bright, I want to catch whatever is there in full sight".

Like Ian Rankin, the Scottish poet Morgan has inspired several of the sculptures, without shedding any light on the identity of the mystery art-bomber. Maybe we need an even bigger magnifying glass to find him or her?

The gift tag attached to the latest creation, was particularly poignant, given the funding cuts that libraries face:

A plastic cover has been placed on it and for the time being it is on display where it was left.

Speechless... and thank you

What can we say? As all recipient will testify, finding one of these gifts in your path is humbling and uplifting. Leaving them behind as a 'thank you' is an awe-inspiring and astonishing act of generosity. Whoever you are, wherever you are, a great many thanks from this City of Literature, for the gifts you have made, and for being wonderful. We will try to find an appropriate public space for our sculpture, as it's far too beautiful to hide in an office. Although the trip to the office has become that bit more special because of it. Thank you.

Gifts to Show and Tell

With so many wonderful sculptures dotted around town, and so many organisations keen to show their gift to the city that enabled us to "get them" in the first place, we have suggested to other proud and grateful recipients that we all stage a temporary exhibition in a place that does the sculptures justice, and is easily accessible to anyone who wants to see them up close. They are all delightful creations, and we would like to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to marvel at the level of detail that can be found in these sculptures. We will try to get them together in one place, before they all become permanent (and permanently loved and accessible) fixtures in our respective literary homes. Stay tuned!

In the Press

The Edinburgh Evening News did a Page 11 spread on the discovery of the Central Library sculpture (and took a cheesy pic of Anna.)

STV News ran a piece about the sculptures on the nightly news.

Ali and Anna were cornered by The Guardian on the day that Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature discovered their book sculpture gift.

 

The photos on this page were taken by Chrisdonia and copyright remains with him.
We thank him for his permission to use them here.

 

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