Exchange Library

February 2009

The Reading Room project took over the Broadway Cinema building in Broad Street Nottingham for one month during February, 2009, transforming the space into a makeshift library. Visitors were encouraged to share, swap and discuss their favourite reading material, and view work by artists, writers and filmmakers and observe different artworks inspired by books and literature.

Fresh from the dusty shelves of The Reading Room, Broadway presented an installation of second hand classics for the general public’s perusal. Books were provided for patrons of the café bar through an ‘honesty/swap’ system. Visitors were encouraged to bring a book they no longer wanted want and swap it for one they would rather give shelf space to at home. Leftover or unwanted books at the end of the project were donated to Oxfam’s book recycling scheme.

The Cinema featured shorts by artists and filmmakers inspired by the written word or the environment of libraries, including Bang! Film Festival lo fi favourite Jack Welsby’s ‘Count Library’, 2002; the classic ‘Associations’ by John Smith, 1975 and Bruce Webb’s beautiful Rare Books and Manuscripts from 2005.

The Glass Screen featured commissioned writings by Michael Pinchbeck
Wayne Burrows, Catherine Hemelryk, Richard Pilgrim, Chris Matthews
and John Newling.