Concrete

János Hübler and Nemere Kerezsi, two Ph. D. students at the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts (supervisor: György Jovánovics), have created this installation using two cubic meters of concrete and eighteen cubic meters of discarded books. Originally part of a large collection donated to the Central European University by Radio Free Europe’s research institute, the books, most of which had lost all relevance in the meantime, were offered to the public gratis. The eighteen cubic meters of books used for the installation are leftovers, unwanted by the public. The two artists executed the project with the help of Márta Rácz. The books were built into a concrete foundation regardless of their content. Arranged with their spines pointing downwards, they constitute interesting shapes of various heights, due to their different sizes. The resulting structure set in concrete will not have a final shape as a floor surface, because, by walking on it, the visitors will continuously erode it. The installation constitutes at the same time a monument to eternal knowledge ”set in concrete” and to degenerating information, to the immortality of the past and its disintegration, while also offering an opportunity to reflect on the essence of books. During the exhibition period (June 4–7), the public is welcome to visit our further events. Anyone interested in poetry will be able to enjoy two Poetry Nights, when contemporary Hungarian poets will be presented, either in person or through the lens of the photographer Lenke Szilágyi. The other events include a book presentation, a public discussion, and readings from many recently published books, in both Hungarian and English.