This is Not an Exhibition at the Edinburgh Central Library

Thursday 7 July – Wednesday 31 August
Monday-Friday 10am-8pm; Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday 9am-1pm; Closed Sunday.
Central Library, Edinburgh
George IV Bridge, EH1 1EG

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This is Not an Exhibition presents a body of new work within the Edinburgh Central Library. Work has been conceived and developed in three distinct spaces by a group of artists from Edinburgh College of Art working collaboratively across a range of media. As opposed to attempting to turn the library into a gallery space, the work is designed to function solely within the unique spaces in the library. The exhibition title speaks of the artists’ desire to bring contemporary art into new spaces in the city. In addition, it aims to promote art which stays away from exhibitionism and all too simple ideas of looking. The exhibition instead focuses on creating work which is not constant, which is not exhibited but merely present. Regular users of the Library will feel an irregularity, encouraging new perceptions of the space. New users (people who have come to the 'exhibition') will, to some extent, have to search for the work. In this way they will hopefully uncover and discover the library for themselves. It is perhaps wrong to talk of work being shown at all, more accurately the space has been adjusted, altered, shifted slightly from the norm.

This is Not an Exhibition uses locations throughout the building. The Fine Art department includes a collection of over 20,000 slides, a selection of which will be used in a new work, projected from inside out to the wall of an adjoining building. An installation using natural light will be located within the stairwell – rather than adding yet more images to the space, the artists have instead chosen to enact a temporary adjustment.

The exterior windows on George IV Bridge and Victoria Street will be used to display a series of large scale paintings. These will aim to exploit the dual view points available to passing pedestrians. Looking out to the street, the display of these works plays on the idea of paintings as a window on the world.

In the music department, there will be a sporadic series of live performances from musicians who use the Library’s public notice boards. Elsewhere across the building, architectural features and details will be highlighted in new ways to urge different connections and perceptions.

Consistency is here found in the inconsistency of the show. The work is barely noticeable, a minute deviation from the norm. This is, as the title says, not an exhibition.

Councillor Deidre Brock, Culture and Leisure Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The slightly provocative, visually arresting nature of this exhibition, another in the series that has arisen from our now well established collaboration with ECA's emerging artists, will surely intrigue and perhaps even challenge the perceptions of visitors to our Central Library.”

More information:

•    Edinburgh College of Art (www.eca.ac.uk) has an international reputation as one of the most successful art colleges in the Europe.  Founded in 1907, but with a history dating back to the 18th century, the College is home to around 1,700 full-time students studying a range of programmes across art, design, architecture and landscape architecture at undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree level. The College is an academic partner of the University of Edinburgh with which we will merge on 1 August 2011. 

•    Edinburgh Central Library has been providing access to the world’s knowledge for over 100 years and has a huge range of resources to meet every leisure, information and learning need. Located close to the Royal Mile in the heart of the Old Town, the Central Library houses more than 850,000 items to borrow and browse through, including books to suit all ages and tastes, a free information and enquiry service, free Internet, E-mail and PC services, free study space, newspapers, magazines and journals, free access to the latest electronic information resources, CDs, DVDs and audio books, guided tours, visits, talks and events, and community meeting spaces.

All information contained herein provided by This is not an exhibition, Edinbugh Central Library