And so on to the final part (that we know of!) in the Paper Sculpture Mystery...
By now, the media were all over this story. The Edinburgh Evening News claimed to
know who the artist was, saying that this story must not go on too long or else it will
become tedious... but no further statements were made.
Then, someone at the Scottish Poetry Library saw a note in their guest book:
“Hopefully next time I’ll be able to linger longer – I’ve left a little something for you near
Women’s Anthologies X. In support of Libraries, Books, Words and Ideas….”
Rushing over to the appropriate section, they discovered another gift.
This tag read:
“To @ByLeavesWeLive……. THE GIFTS “Gloves of bee’s ful, cap of the Wren’s
Wings…….” Norman McCaig …. maybe sometimes impossible things… In support
of LIbraries, Books, Words Ideas….”
And with the curious addition in the corner of "10/10".
So here we have a cap made of a wing... a wing, of course, made of exquisitely crafted
paper feathers. And with it a pair of paper gloves… fashioned in the stripes of a bee.
And an explanation!
“It’s important that a story is not too long... does not become tedious...
‘You need to know when to end a story,’ she thought.
Often a good story ends where it begins. This would mean a return to the
Poetry Library. The very place where she had left the first of the ten.
Back to those who had loved that little tree, and so encouraged her to
try again... and again.
Some had wondered who it was, leaving these small strange objects.
Some even thought it was a ‘he’!... As if!
Others looked among Book Artists, rather good ones actually...
But they would never find her there. For though she does make things,
this was the first time she had dissected books and had used them simply
be-cause they seemed fitting...
Most however chose not to know... which was the point really.
The gift, the place to sit, to look, to wonder, to dream...
of the impossible maybe...
A tiny gesture in support of the special places...
So, here, she will end this story, in a special place...
A Poetry Library... where they are well used to ‘anon.’
But before exiting... a few mentions. There could be more, because we
have all colluded to make this work... Just a few though.
- the twitter community who in some strange way gave rise to the idea
in the first place
-@chrisdonia who gave the story a place, a shape and some great pictures
- and not least @Beathhigh whose books and reputation have been shame-
lessly utilised in the making of a mystery...
…… But hold on. Someone’s left behind a pair of gloves and a cap……….?
Cheers Edinburgh It’s been fun!
X
But this was obviously not the end of the story... 10/10 had been found, but
not 09/10 or 08/10. It didn't take long though...
The next day the National Museum of Scotland received a gift... A dinosaur,
bursting from the tattered leaves of a book, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World.
The tag read:
“For @NtlMuseumsScot A Gift Your friends at @edbookfest suggested you might like this.
…. In support of libraries, books, words, ideas and those places that house our
treasures……”
And in the corner, 9/10.
Tiny men were positioned amidst the tattered leaves of the book...
The last paper sculpture soon appeared at the Writer’s Museum on top of the donations
box in the Robert Louis Stevenson Room...
An eirily atmospheric street scene with a silvery moon and wisps of cloud
suspended above it, sculpted from Ian Rankin's book Hide and Seek.
This tag read:
“@CuratorEMG A Gift “The stories are in the stones” Ian Rankin In support of
Libraries, Books, Words, Ideas …… and Writers.”
And the 8/10 in the corner, confirming that all of the sculptures had been found.
There were people, birds on wires, a streetlight… scenes spied through windows...
and a pentagram scrawled on a wall in red with the signs of the zodiac around it.
Along the front of the scene have been placed the words, “commingled out of Good
and Evil” (a line from Jekyll & Hyde)...
“I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come
near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because
all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward
Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil,”
Ian Rankin has said of his book, Hide & Seek, that he was hoping to create an updated,
Edinbugh-based version of Stevenson’s story.
The writer's Museum are hoping to display this piece but it may end up being housed
in a different venue because of lack of of space.
So, the end of the story...
Did you like it? Have you heard it before?
I hope you found it as delightful as I did :)
The mystery may be over and the artists still anonymous but I would like to thank
This is Central Station for this wonderful story... and my friend Sally for letting me
know it was there :)
