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Alastair Noble, assistant professor of art, collaborated with Michael Howard of Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England on a book project focusing on Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Noble’s piece, entitled “Ex Libris,” is part of a larger exhibition of artists’ books called “Bibliomania” that was on display this month in the Holden Art Gallery in Manchester.
Made in the form of a kite, “Ex Libris” is 14 feet long with a wingspan of 20 feet and is made out of bamboo and paper. Quotes from Wittgenstein’s philosophical writings along with fragments of poetic texts from 19th century French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé are stenciled on the paper body and wings. The wings represent the open pages of a book. The structure was suspended in the skylight of the gallery and hovers over the rest of the exhibition.
Accompanying this kite-like structure on the ground was a printed book entitled Wittgenstein’s Flights by Noble and Howard. The book reflects upon quotes drawn again from Wittgenstein’s philosophical works but, in this case, juxtaposed with images of the moorlands of Glossop, England where he undertook his own aeronautical research from 1908-1911.
This was the fourth in a series of Wittgenstein kite structures Noble has installed over the past six months. He and Howard will produce another printed book in the near future, reflecting on images and text from “Ex Libris.”
During the installation, Noble worked closely with students from the United Kingdom.
“This sculptural book was constructed on site with the assistance of about a dozen students from various art departments and universities in the U.K. They were able to work together collaboratively with us on all aspects of this sculpture,” he says. “I was very impressed by the cooperation and dedication by all these students who engaged in this project, which was fabricated during their last week of winter break and first week of their January semester.
“My understanding from these students was that this was a very exciting and enjoyable experience for them, and this gave them a tangible insight into how sculptures and exhibits are installed. This opportunity for me to engage with the students in this manner was a very fruitful educational experience.”
“Bibliomania” is divided into two sections. The first is called “More Than a Book,” a selection of artists’ books that has been on tour in the U.S., Mexico, and Costa Rica, and was curated by Curlee Raven Holton, professor and head of art and founding director of Lafayette’s Experimental Printmaking Institute.
The other section consisted of six elongated lecterns with 100 altered books placed on them and available to be picked up and viewed. Contributors from North America, South America, and the U.K. were invited to take any published book and alter it, leaving only the spine and cover untouched. The book’s new character is only revealed when it is opened.
Last year, Noble installed Zang Tumb Tumb II during his residency at the University of Arizona with the help of civil engineering major Jessica Haase ’07 (Glenn Rock, Pa.). He also led his Concepts in Sculpture class last fall in constructing a large-scale collaborative book sculpture in front of Skillman Library that consisted of nearly 1,000 stacked books donated by Quadrant Book Mart in downtown Easton.
Last spring, Noble constructed a sculpture in the form of the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, for an architectural community in Chile called Open City. Noble was the first artist to be invited to stay on site at Open City and collaborated with its architecture students and faculty on creating a full-size bamboo prototype.
Noble’s art has been exhibited nationally and internationally for more than 25 years, including at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. His works are part of many private, corporate, and public collections. He is the organizer of several symposia and exhibitions on public art and poetry, contributes regularly as a reviewer for Sculpture magazine, and has published other articles, including a piece in Journal of Architecture.