Did I say next week? I'm sorry for the delay...
I've had a bit of a mystery playing itself out here as well... My file on the shenanigans
going on in Scotland disappeared from my computer for a while. Who knows what
happened there ;) Anyway, it's back now and I can finally give you Part 2.
And so the mystery continues...
In August of last year, two more paper sculptures 'appeared' in Edinburgh...
this time at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The first one was a paper tea cup addressed to the Twitter address of the festival.
It was found on one of the signing tables in the bookshop. The tag read:
To @edbookfest... 'A gift' This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas...
& festivals xx
It includes a cup, cake and teabag filled with cut out letters, on the tag of which are the words
“by leaves we live”.
The cup on the top has a swirl of words which read "Nothing beats a nice cup of tea
(or coffee) and a really good BOOK”.
The ‘tray’ next to the cupcake it says “except maybe a cake as well”.
The other paper sculpture was address to UNESCO Edinburgh City of Literature,
hidden at their stand in the entrance tent to the festival.
This tag read:
To @edincityoflit ‘A gift’ LOST (albeit in a good book) This is for you in support of libraries,
books, words, ideas…. “No infant has the power of deciding….. by what circumstances
(they) shall be surrounded.. Robert Owen
Crafted from a copy of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James
Hogg, this book is not only a favourite of the City of Literature team but is also known to
have been an influence on Ian Rankin’s work.
So far quite a few of these sculptures have overt links to Mr Rankin, suggesting this is no
coincidence. As Ian was due on site later in the day and had not yet met any of these
creations face to face, the @EdinCityofLit team introduced him to their new baby.
At the end of August last year, another paper sculpture was found... this time at the
Central Lending Library on George IV Bridge.
The sculpture was in the form of a book with a magnifying glass mounted on the top and was left on a shelf and they think it was there for a few days before anyone noticed :)
The tag on this one read:
For Central Library ‘A Gift’ @Edinburgh_CC This is for you in support of libraries, books,
words, ideas…. LIBRARIES ARE EXPANSIVE
The word “expensive” has had the E crossed out and replaced with an A. No question of the
creator’s views on library cuts… The tag then notes, “Words on book – Edwin Morgan”.
So, more paper sculptures appear and still no clues as to who the artist or artists are.
There is more... I'll save it for next time and hopefully it won't take me so long this time ;)
