The London Library Artist Residency

A 12-month Artist Residency at the London Library by artists Mark Harris and Bob Matthews. The London Library is one of the world's leading literary institutions established in 1841. It has over a million books and 17 miles of shelving. Harris and Matthews approached the library to set up this inaugural artist residency, aiming to act as a bridge to create stronger links between the Library and the contemporary artworld. Both artist’s practices and academic experience draws upon a wide knowledge and specialism of the processes of print production and the history of the printed image. They intended to use the residency to re-consider the London Library collection through a purely visual lens, researching new ways for members to approach this unique literary collection. The subsequent findings were used to develop new artworks that were exhibited throughout the Library.