Books in search of readers

MANILA, Philippines - Admit it – We all have books that we’ve never read, that look good on the shelf or on the table. We get hold of best sellers – what everyone else is supposedly reading – and yet, it turns out, it’s not of any particular interest to us. Before a film debuts in the cinemas, we feel we have to pick up the “must read” novel it was based on. Or, on the other hand, we so enjoyed the movie that we just must get the book. But to this day, not a single page has been turned. And then there are those moments when we must buy the book, simply because it’s on sale!

I’m guilty as charged, but I have recently been assured that I am not alone. The Library of Unread Books is a traveling exhibit of donated books from around the world left untouched by their previous owners. The exhibit seeks to give them new life, to bring them to people who may just actually read them. So, for a few weeks, the books have found a home right in the heart of the city of Manila – on the fabled Escolta street.

Escolta, the old Queen of Streets, still hosts some of the most historical properties in the country. The El Hogar once stood tall as one of the first skyscrapers, and was a wedding present of Antonio Melian y Pavia, the third Count of Peracamps, to his bride Margarita Zóbel de Ayala, a sister of Enrique Zóbel.

Named after American philanthropist William Burke, the Burke building had the very first elevator. Then there is the Natividad that boasted beaux arts architecture by Philippine-born Spanish architect Fernando de la Cantera Blondeau; the Calvo, which housed the pioneer FM radio station; and the Capitol theater, designed by the late National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil.

One of the more storied establishments, though, is the First United Building, otherwise known as the Perez-Samanillo Building, designed by Andrés Luna de San Pedro, the son of painter Juan Luna of the Spoliarium fame.

Calle de la Escolta, opened in 1594, quickly came to be known as a center of trade and fashion. Unfortunately, World War II left most of the area leveled to the ground and, eventually, forgotten.

However, today, the fabled street plays a significant role in restoration efforts of the independent Philippine art scene. Thus it currently plays host to The Library of Unread Books.

The journey of this specific collection began on Sept. 23, 2016  as part of a generous residency at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Center for Contemporary Art in Singapore of Heman Chong and Renee Staal.

Chong, a Masters in Communication Art and Design degree holder from The Royal College of Art, London, is an artist, curator and writer known for works that tread between imagery, performance and writing. His pieces have been shown in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, London, Milan, New York and Seoul.

The co-founder and chief librarian of this mobile gallery, Staal is a Language and Culture Studies graduate of the University of Utrecht, with a Masters in Arts and Heritage: Policy, Management, and Education at the Maastricht University, both in the Netherlands.

The Philippine leg of this exhibit is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB). MCAD Commons is a program which aims to bring art shows outside its main gallery to a larger audience.

Passing through a simple green door on the fifth floor of the First United Building, a counter with piles of books greets the visitor.

To the left are several rows of tables and chairs arranged in the usual library floor plan. An elevated level holds yet another stash of reading materials, with no semblance of order – just different genres of books which have all been abandoned.

There is a well-lit windowed area lined with several comforters, where guests can relax and lie down as they discover new and wonderful fictional worlds.

During the course of the exhibition, all these may be picked up and read by anyone – and may be returned to a different shelf.

As I approached one table, I immediately recognized Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – how could anyone not have read this classic?

Then I stumbled upon novels such as Two Week Orgy by Adrian Zilche; with such a title, I could not understand why it has remained unopened. The US Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture may likewise be discovered here. I felt sorry for Children’s Britannica, which has now been replaced by everybody’s best friend, Google.

A simple donation of one unread book gives one a lifetime membership, plus access to the library as it pops up in different institutions across the globe.

The two organizers will run this exhibit for ten years, accumulating as many unread books as possible, and have many interesting conversations with the people who come and read. The duo dreams that the library will eventually find a home in an institution.

Although the showroom may be considered organized chaos, there is a sense of peace, an inkling of serenity, for as these books will tour many more countries, the unwanted manuscripts have finally found a welcome haven, maybe even two, for a brief moment.

The Library of Unread Books, which runs until Aug. 26, Tuesdays to Saturdays, is located on the 5th Floor of the First United Building, 413 Escolta Street, Manila.