HEATHER LAWLESS
iLibrary, 2011
Site-specific multimedia performance at New Haven Public Library
Courtesy of the artist
Photograph by Mia O.
iLibrary, 2011
Site-specific multimedia performance at New Haven Public Library
Courtesy of the artist
Photograph by Mia O.
How does mobile technology affect how we read, research, and learn? Heather Lawless's iLibrary invites participants to use smart phones, podcasts, and text messages to navigate the spaces within the New Haven Free Public Library. The installation re-examines the relationship between the library institution and the city of New Haven and explores the connections among library patrons of the past, present and future.
Our bond with data is intimate. When we have easy access to knowledge, we feel empowered; when we don't, we feel disconnected. Archives and inquiries transcend the walls of the library institution as we tuck our own personal libraries into the pockets of our jeans. iLibrary is a multimedia, participatory event that invites visitors to seek and receive information the contemporary way: immediately, through a hand-held device.
The iLibrary takes several forms. A slideshow at ilibraryproject.org highlights the history of the library and its patrons. At the library, patrons can borrow an iPod and follow a podcast that uses elements of time, the library catalogue database, and library media to create and map an audio tour that is unique to them. Through a series of workshops, visitors are invited to explore the future of publishing by constructing electronic or printed books using print-on-demand technology.
Our bond with data is intimate. When we have easy access to knowledge, we feel empowered; when we don't, we feel disconnected. Archives and inquiries transcend the walls of the library institution as we tuck our own personal libraries into the pockets of our jeans. iLibrary is a multimedia, participatory event that invites visitors to seek and receive information the contemporary way: immediately, through a hand-held device.
The iLibrary takes several forms. A slideshow at ilibraryproject.org highlights the history of the library and its patrons. At the library, patrons can borrow an iPod and follow a podcast that uses elements of time, the library catalogue database, and library media to create and map an audio tour that is unique to them. Through a series of workshops, visitors are invited to explore the future of publishing by constructing electronic or printed books using print-on-demand technology.
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Heather Lawless lives and works in Hamden, Connecticut. She holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Art from Maine College of Art. Science was Heather’s first calling—she completed an undergraduate program in Pre-Medicine and worked as a medical research assistant for projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. Today, Heather’s art revolves around her inner scientist and life-long academic. As the daughter, niece, and great-niece of librarians, a love of research runs through her veins. Heather’s recent works examine future possibilities of human evolution by considering current trends in the shifting human genome, collective social behaviors and our ever-changing physical environment. Her research has sent her to museums and libraries all over the United States, including extensive explorations of the American Museum of Natural History Institutional Archives.
The New Haven Free Public Library boasts several Works Progress Administration murals and was among the first in the country to create a dedicated Children’s Room.
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