Book Tower Images: Visualizing Henry van de Velde's Ghent University Library Tower - Hardcover

Edited By Steven Jacobs

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 907671469X ISBN 13: 9789076714691

Publisher: A&S/Books, Ugent/Exhibitions International, 2024

Synopsis

• The Ghent University library with its famous "Book Tower" was designed by Henry van de Velde in the 1930s
• It re-opened recently after a long restoration process under the supervision of Robbrecht en Daem architecten

The Ghent University library with its famous "Book Tower" was designed by Henry van de Velde in the 1930s. It re-opened recently after a long restoration process under the supervision of Robbrecht en Daem architecten.

Book Tower Images focuses on the rich artistic imagery of the monument. Over the years, leading artists and photographers such as Frans Masereel, Lucien Hervé, Candida Höfer, and Carl De Keyzer have visualised it abundantly. Jan De Cock, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and others realised installations or dance performances in the building that were documented with the help of photographs and films.

Juxtaposing multiple images of the same building, Book Tower Images deals with various models of architectural representation: from typical modernist architectural photographs by Emile Sergysels from the 1940s to recent explorations by Dirk Braeckman, Geert Goiris, Aglaia Konrad, and Walter Vorjohann among many others.

Book Tower Images combines architectural photography with a myriad of other artistic and photographic practices such as documentary photography, street photography, fashion shoots, photojournalism, amateur photography, painting, drawing, video, film etc - with, of course, the Book Tower as leitmotiv.

About this title

From the Back Cover

The Ghent University library with its famous "Book Tower" was designed by Henry van de Velde in the 1930s. It re-opened recently after a long restoration process under the supervision of Robbrecht en Daem architecten.
Book Tower Images focuses on the rich artistic imagery of the monument. Over the years, leading artists and photographers such as Frans Masereel, Lucien Hervé, Candida Höfer, and Carl De Keyzer have visualized it abundantly. Jan De Cock, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and others realized installations or dance performances in the building that were documented with the help of photographs and films.
Juxtaposing multiple images of the same building, Book Tower Images deals with various models of architectural representation: from typical modernist architectural photographs by Emile Sergysels from the 1940s to recent explorations by Dirk Braeckman, Geert Goiris, Aglaia Konrad, and Walter Vorjohann among many others.
Book Tower Images combines architectural photography with a myriad of other artistic and photographic practices such as documentary photography, street photography, fashion shoots, photojournalism, amateur photography, painting, drawing, video, film et cetera - with, of course, the Book Tower as leitmotiv.

De Gentse Universiteitsbibliotheek met de beroemde Boekentoren, die door Henry Van de Velde in de jaren 1930 werd ontworpen, werd onlangs heropend na een lange restauratiecampagne. Hoewel de tentoonstelling Beelden van de Boekentoren inspeelt of dit heuglijke feit, schenkt zij niet zozeer aandacht aan het gebouw zelf maar eerder aan de rijke beeldvorming ervan. De bibliotheektoren werd in de loop der jaren immers uitvoerig gevisualiseerd door toonaangevende fotografen zoals Lucien Hervé en Candida Höfer terwijl kunstenaars als Jan De Cock en Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker er installaties of dansvoorstellingen realiseerden die met behulp van foto's en films werden geregistreerd.
Door meerdere beelden van hetzelfde gebouw te confronteren maakt deze expositie een veelvoud aan architecturale representatietechnieken duidelijk: van de typische modernistische architectuurfoto's die Emile Sergysels in de jaren 1930 maakte tot de recente exploraties door Aglaia Konrad. Daarnaast koppelt de expositie architectuurfotografie aan een ruime waaier van andere artistieke en fotografische praktijken zoals documentaire fotografie, street photography, modefotografie, fotojournalistiek, amateurfoto's, schilderkunst, video, et cetera - met, uiteraard, de Boekentoren als rode draad.
Met werk van Kristien Daem, Jan De Cock, Walter De Mulder, Carl De Keyzer, Geert Goiris, Lucien Hervé, Candida Höfer, Jan Kempenaers, Aglaia Konrad, François Schuiten, Emile Sergysels en vele anderen.

Dit project werd gerealiseerd in samenwerking met de Centrale Bibliotheek van de Universiteit Gent en de Archives et Musées de la littérature te Brussel en met de genereuze steun van Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne

Edition details

• Publisher: A&S/Books, Ugent/Exhibitions International
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 907671469X
• ISBN 13: 9789076714691
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168
• Editor: Dossche Charlotte