British artist Abigail Reynolds is all set to take off on a journey along the Silk Route after being selected for the third BMW Art Journey. Reynolds's project titled 'The Ruins of Time. Lost Libraries along the Silk Road', will take her along the route of the ancient Silk Road to research and find out about the lost libraries lost to conflict or to the ravages of time. The third artist to be selected, Reynolds draws inspiration from literature and historical monuments. The artist will look at as many as 16 sites of libraries lost to political conflicts, robbers, natural catastrophes, and war. Their tragedies can be traced back to 291 BC and to as recently as 2011. The journey will take her along the trajectory of the ancient Silk Road, which she will approach in two stages, starting from the Eastern and the Western end points, then travelling inwards as far as today’s conflict zones allow.Along the way, Reynolds, an avid collector of books and images, will gather representations in various forms from 3D scans, photography, microscope imagery, written text, plans or cataloguing systems. This extensive research will enable her to create a cluster of book forms, prints, collages, and 16mm film - the last one will be her first attempt to work in this medium. Images, texts, and other documents originating from the experience will, after the conclusion of the journey, be compiled into a book.Click on the Slideshow for a sneak peek of the artist’s work.
↧