We are thrilled to share that Pale Blue Dot Collective have been commissioned to create a sound piece for the upcoming Bodleian Library exhibition titled ‘Sensational Books’. In 2020, Pale Blue Dot Collective was selected to visit the libraries and view some of the incredible collection. We were then invited to submit an idea for a commission which we will share more about soon.

We will be exploring a series of historical texts as well as recording sounds in the libraries.

‘Professor Emma Smith, University of Oxford and Kathryn Rudy, an art historian, medievalist and weaver based at the University of St Andrews are exploring encounters with the book beyond reading. Fusion Arts is collaborating with the Bodleian Libraries to work with artists to explore the book as an object engaging senses beyond sight in the exhibition room and explore the sonic qualities of library material.

The Sensational Books project explores the book as an object: the materials used, the sizing and shaping, the interpretation and experimentation of format, evoking the people and the spaces connected to the life of a book, including the relationship between the digital and the physical.

Following a workshop at the Weston Library, artists were invited to submit proposals that respond sonically to the exhibits and reveal aspects of the immersive experience of the book. These artworks will form part of the Weston Library’s Exhibition Sensational Books.’