I borrowed a book from the library a few weeks ago called The New York School. I noticed that the date inside on the bit that has a stamp for the date of return, the first date of this particular book was 9. Jun. 1972.
I found myself stroking the page, gently flicking through the pages noticing all the stains on it, but really touching and feeling it. I noticed how the font of the stamp changed over time, and decided that 1970's had the best font for their stamp and that it got progressively more disappointing with the late 90's not doing well at all. I started looking for the significant dates in my life on, my year of birth 1986, June... no stamps for June in any year apart from the first. How old was I when...? How old was my mum in 1972? She would have been only 7 years old. It's incredible to think about what has happened in those years for my family, but also how much has happened and changed over time. History has happened.
I noticed the gaps, this book wasn't borrowed once between 1987 and 1999, or between 1999 and 2009, why was that? This book sat on a shelf at Chelsea for years at a time, whole BA courses and groups of students will have come and gone and walked past it, chatted in front of it. I then started thinking about the people that borrowed this book, what they're doing now, where they are...
Then I was sitting in the canteen at work on my break tonight, and I got the book out of my bag and told some friends that this book I got out from the library the other day, it was borrowed for the first time in 1972. I wasn't expecting any kind of enthusiasm. But weirdly, they started doing the same things as I had done when I first saw it. Stroking it, flicking through, talking about how it related to dates in their lives, who people were who borrowed etc.. This didn't last very long, but it was significant.
I think there is something common and universal about the need and want to try and put ourselves into context in terms of other people and in terms of time. To think about how everything relates to us. There is an awareness that we are one of many, but there is a subtle, or not so, fear of being alone and so we find ways to connect and engage with each other. Dates seem a particularly direct and personal way of doing this. I think it's also interesting that we wanted to create a narrative about the people that borrowed the book, their lives. The excitement of possibility, the unknown.. There's something there anyway!
So I had this idea for a side project. To photocopy, photograph or record in some way, every bit that has a stamp for the date of return in every book in the library. just by doing that, there would be so much data... 1000 books borrowed in 1981, 2 borrowed in 1999. books on certain art movements and artists borrowed more at certain periods of history.. the oldest book, the most borrowed book,... there's something in this, and it's something I'd really like to do... Just need to think more about why.