Art- Reading Room

Sligo Art Gallery, Yeats Memorial Building, Hyde Bridge, Sligo Until Jul 17 091-45847

Reading Roomis an intriguing exhibition on several counts. One, it consists of and is about books, which now fall into the category of artifacts threatened by the development of digital electronic technology in the form of the various readers developed by Amazon and Sony. Two, artworks usually come with a precautionary "Do Not Touch" warning, whereas this is an exhibition in which visitors are actively encouraged to touch and indeed read the exhibits.

There’s long been a close connection between visual artists and the book form. Artists just love making books, and Floating World have devised a three-part show that aims to introduce the public to the world of the artist’s book in the most pleasant manner possible, by making a kind of artist’s book library.

The first room is a reading room with artists’ books available for examination. The second room features source material and finished artworks related to the books on display, and in the third room visitors are free to engage in a bit of book- making of their own.

can’T see ThaT? caTch This

Artworks by Laura Fitzgerald, Waterford Regional Hospital