Spurge # 4. One thousand twenty-one reasons
Artist book
21 x 29.7 x 18 cm
1074 pages
Hard covers
Edition: La Casa Encendida and Artes Santa Mònica
Unique piece
2017-2018
* Finalist in the 2018 City of Amposta Art Biennial. Members of the jury: Juan Canela, Núria Enguita, Alexandra Laudo and Martí Manen.
* Work acquired by the National Art Fund of the Generalitat of Catalonia (MACBA Depository Museum)
To purge (to prune) means to clean, to choose. Clean (a plant) of useless or superfluous branches. Purge. Other meanings are: remove works that have become obsolete (from a library, archive). Purge a theory, a book, of errors. Take away from something that is bad or dangerous. Delete an authority something that it considers wrong or annoying in a writing.
It is a vegetation control tool that works as a metaphor in the management of knowledge and memory.
Expurgo # 4 is the pruning of six thousand eight hundred books from the La Casa Encendida library, marked with an ex-libris and made available to the public who could take whatever they wanted, in exchange for leaving the reason for their choice in writing.
This action was carried out within the framework of the Unusual Libraries Exhibition, under the care of Glòria Picazo and produced by the Center Arts Santa Mònica and La Casa Encendida.
With the collected motifs, a total of one thousand twenty-one, the artist’s book has been prepared, arranged by different categories into which the motifs listed below have been classified:
Index of reasons for choosing a book
– Without reason. In white
– Incomprehensible calligraphy (classification has not been possible)
– Aspect: cover. Illustrations Images. Color…
– Title
– Argument. Plot. Synopsis. Back cover
– Author
o Know him and like him for his work
o Ignorance and interest in knowing him
– Theme. Gender
o Current affairs
o History Geography. Archeology
o Social content
Feminism
o Literature
o Historical novel
o Adventures. Childish
or Intrigue. Suspense. Drama. Terror
or Novel black. Detectives
Romantic novel
o Arts (visual arts, poetry, photography, dance …)
o Science
or Animals
– It seems interesting. I like it. Curiosity. Funny. Funny. Let’s see how
– Read
o Taste for reading
o Summer reading. Holidays…
– Quality guarantee
or Universal. A classic. Essential
o Authorized and prestigious for a prize
or Recommended by another person
– “A signal. The book found me “
– Expand personal library. Collection
– Put knowledge into circulation
or Share. Give away
o Donation to other libraries
– Acquire specific knowledge on a topic and apply them
o Know or learn about historical facts
o Learn or improve a language
– Know other cultures, countries
– Travel to other places and times with imagination
– Book as document, trace (of an exhibition)
– Practical use: sell it. Fit a table …
– Reaffirm a personal opinion
– Contrast another point of view. Another vision
– Reunion. Have read it in the past. Continuation. Second part…
– Memory. Personal link
– Cinematic reference. Having seen the movie
– Basic needs
– Healing
– Express support or disagreement with the Expurgo # 4 project
– Others
