The Great Library by Amanda Watson-Will

In this book I have created an imagining of one of an iconic buildings from history, the Great Library of Alexandria. The inspiration for the book is a section of text from Jeanette Winterson's Art & Lies, in which she envisages the capacious interior of the long-destroyed library in its full glory. I have used a story box structure to create a more literal representation of the library as a form or construction. As with a building, the viewer first encounters the book object's exterior, with text quoted from Winterson. The text hints at the contents of the interior, but it is only when opened that the book reveals the expansive possibilities of the Great Library. We glimpse the secrets behind the facade of grandeur. As with well-designed architecture, a full engagement with all the book offers is a kinetic, intellectual and emotional experience.