Forms of Recollection: Storied 1989

Here's 'Forms of Recollection: Storied' by Harriet Bart, built with books in a spiral, like an undone tower of knowledge. Imagine the artist layering each book, one by one, a physical act of building both structure and meaning. The muted palette of greys and whites gives it a ghostly, ephemeral feel. Each book a repository of stories, memories, and ideas, now transformed into a collective monument. I imagine Bart thinking about the weight of history. What does it mean to construct something so monumental out of things that are so small and intimate? Each book in the spiral is like a single brushstroke. It makes me think about artists like Anselm Kiefer, who also grapple with memory and history. Like an archeological site, the sculpture invites us to dig beneath the surface. It reminds us that knowledge is never fixed but is always shifting, and always under construction.