Helen Kaplinsky is an Artist and Curator based in London

Encyclopaedia Britannica 1957

28 volumes of Encylopaedia Britannica 1957, 2.5m x 1m approx

Encyclopaedia, Brotherton Library, Special Collections, Leeds, 2007

The tower held up for a matter of minutes...

before collapsing in heap.

The 24 volumes of the Encyclopaedia, over 12,000 pages have been torn out of their binding. Each page has been torn individually meaning that with each page a unique gesture has been inscribed. The contour of a tear influences successive tears as the matter building up on the spine becomes denser. The loose pages were stacked into a tower, by pushing the un-torn edge up against a corner. The order is alphabetical, with each page facing down after being handled. The index sits at the top, lending the opportunity to search for an entry.

A video work; Re compiling Encyclopaedia Britannica 1957 (5mins, 31 secs)

See stills below:

The film is made up of stills. A camera captured the scene every 10 pages, triggered by a bulb release under my foot.  The process was repetitive and labourious, taking over 70 hours in all.