Crossroads of CuriosityThe British Library meets Burning Man

Open House – Boston SpaFriday 12th June 2015, 1400 - 1530

Mahendra MaheyManager of British Library Labs

http://labs.bl.uk 2#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The Story ofCrossroads of Curiosity

http://labs.bl.uk 3#bl_labs labs@bl.ukFunded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation

http://labs.bl.uk 4#bl_labs

Snipping out imagesfrom 65,000 Digitised Books

Face recognition

Mechanical Curator

Flickr

Worked better for female faces than men’s

Press

http://mechanicalcurator.tumblr.com> 260,000,000 views

> 380,000 tags

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/

1,020,418 imagesneed tagging!

Creative uses of imageshttp://goo.gl/qPPgxX

http://labs.bl.uk 5#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

David Normal…

• Visual artist

• Specific interest in collage art

• Was looking for a source of digital 19th Century illustrations

• Found our collection through Facebook posting

http://labs.bl.uk 6#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

http://labs.bl.uk 7#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Interview with David Normal about Crossroads of Curiosity

https://youtu.be/Q3SBxO34Zlc

http://labs.bl.uk 8#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Burning Man and after…

• Initial contact with David Normal and Nora McGregor in Summer 2014, continued with Labs after…

• David gave talk at Library in October and December 2014

• Proposal to commissioning board: David Normal, Mahendra Mahey and Jamie Andrews approved late 2014

• Claire Robe joined March 2015

http://labs.bl.uk 9#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Funded by…

• British Library

• Eccles Centre for American Studies

• Friends of the British Library

• Burning Man Global Arts Programme

• Kathryn and Lewis Shepherd

• And others

http://labs.bl.uk 10#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The British Library Meets Burning ManInitial Drawings…

http://labs.bl.uk 11#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

First mock up…

http://labs.bl.uk 12#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Roof or not a Roof?

http://labs.bl.uk 13#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

No roof but benches for ballast

http://labs.bl.uk 14#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

http://labs.bl.uk 15#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The final design…1

http://labs.bl.uk 16#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Base of exhibit…wheelchair friendly

http://labs.bl.uk 17#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The final design…2

http://labs.bl.uk 18#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The final design…3

http://labs.bl.uk 19#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Wednesday 10th of June at 0530

http://labs.bl.uk 20#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Wednesday 10th of June at 0630

http://labs.bl.uk 21#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The build crew…

http://labs.bl.uk 22#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Today…

http://labs.bl.uk 23#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Friday 12th of June, lunchtime

http://labs.bl.uk 24#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Friday 12th of June, lunchtime

http://labs.bl.uk 25#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Friday 12th of June, lunchtime

http://labs.bl.uk 26#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Friday 12th of June, lunchtime

http://labs.bl.uk 27#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

20th of June Crossroads of Curiosity Event

http://labs.bl.uk 28#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Event details

•Talk from David Normal about Art Work

•Larry Harvey in conversation with David about the literary influences on Burning Man

•Viktor Wynd, Cabinet of Curiosities

•Mandra

•DJ Yoda

http://labs.bl.uk 29#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Event Details

•Rob Sherman – Interactive Fiction Writer in Residence

•Bob Nicholson – The story of a joke from Nevada that went viral in the 19th Century

•Moving Europe – Burning Man inspired troop of performers and musicians

•Others…

http://labs.bl.uk 30#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

The British Library Meets Burning Man

https://youtu.be/Q3SBxO34Zlc

http://labs.bl.uk 31#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Installation for 5 months…

In poet’s circle until 8th of November 2015

Free

http://labs.bl.uk 32#bl_labs labs@bl.uk

Thank you…