A Yard Full Of Books

Whitehead Oliver

In the spring of 1993 I came across a building that was being renovated. An attic full of books had been untouched for decades. For three days, books were thrown from the attic windows into the yard below to be removed. Mistreating books is almost a taboo. They are a symbol of knowledge and status. Books have been physically attacked as a way of trying to control and purge people. At times, for example, during wartime and civil disturbance, books are banned or destroyed. The video is an expression of the uncertainty between the disgust and pleasure of observing something close to us being abused.

Production Year
1993
Duration
00:05:17
Tyyppi
Asiasana
Original Title
A Yard Full Of Books
Finnish Title
A Yard Full Of Books
English Title
A Yard Full Of Books
Production Countries
Finland
Dialogue
No
Aspect Ratio
4:3
Sound
Yes
Cast
Oliver Whitehead (Author), Oliver Whitehead (Director)
Press Photos
Oliver Whitehead is a media artist from England who has lived and worked in Helsinki, Finland since 1971. He worked as director of the Media Department in the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki from 1991–97. Whitehead is a versatile and multidisciplinary artist. He moves comfortably within painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, film and video, often applying a combination of the techniques. More recently he has worked with live experimental video projections and also in cooperation with musicians He has exhibited in Finland and abroad.