//20 ish photos of things in spaces//

The main idea I was playing with for this project was accidentally inspired by an Instagram video series by Alarm Will Sound, entitled "Will It Bow?", in which their musicians take a bow to objects that usually are not bowed and see what kind of sounds those objects make, if any. My fledgling concept is entitled "Will It Shelf?", in their honor. 

At the moment, I have 10 of the library's 12 Rachmaninoff biographies sitting in my bedroom for my Russian capstone. Many of these volumes are quite old and bound in colorful, if faded, fabric. I took these (and some other objects you'll see momentarily) down to the basement, my new favorite place, not yet knowing what I'd do with them. I actually started off with other objects - earrings, glass, beaded bracelets - moving to the books later. 

First, my killer rabbit earring went for a ride in an old glass goblet I found at a thrift store. 

Then, killer rabbit earring fulfilled its earring function and hung places, sometimes accompanied by other earring friends. It was fun to play with earrings as a sort of autobiographical display, and it was fun to compose them in groups (as in the spiderweb picture above) since they usually only come out two at a time. 

The stack of books depicted above was my first attempt at arranging books in space, before the "Will It Shelf?" concept came to me and I started searching for unusual places to stick the books. 

Below, the first "Will It Shelf?" experiment. A staircase makes a great bookshelf, turns out. 

Then, a strange ledge - I'm not sure if this used to be a window that has been bricked over, or what.

Then, a table with a desk lamp that doesn't work.

A perfect book nook, nestled within a pile of boxes, laundry hampers, and sled things.

A chair makes a tidy shelf, and the arms could hold a whole row of books in place.

The ceiling pipes held books quite nicely. 

Old ladders were also a secure perch.

The inside of the dryer provided limited shelfage.

Right at home on the laundry detergent shelves.

The blue electrical box complemented the jewel tones of the books.

Another strange ledge that might be a bricked over window.

Leaving the basement - another unlikely spot for bookshelves, the bathroom. Don't try this at home.

The toilet paper dispenser also offered a nice perch.

Inside the shower was definitely the most treacherous location for a humble book.

I like the idea of taking something that usually doesn't function in a certain way, and asking - but what if it did, actually? A toilet isn't a bookshelf anymore than a staircase is, unless it is... Aesthetically, these photos play into the same themes I explored last week - nostalgia, decaying spaces, old and cherished objects.

***No books were harmed in the taking of these pictures!***

And - here's an Alarm Will Sound recording I like, just for fun.