The City Diary
The City Diary is a living record that starts life as an empty book. The blank pages are an invitation for local people to express themselves within a public document. The book lives in the Library to allow for a radius of local contributions and accessibility.
The book requests its own content and provides an alternative place for communication that does not have a judgemental position. Once pulled from the library shelf it can visit and capture the tales of local individuals. It invites the communication and appreciation of everyone’s thoughts.
Three identical editions of the book have been donated to three public Libraries in three European cities. Whilst their initial similarities are taken as the basis of the idea, their differences will be revealed from the dynamics and rhythms of their locations and is the binding element of this project.
The project extends the exchange between author, book, and reader by establishing the circumstances for open dialogues with each city and its inhabitants. It brings about an inversion of terms as it challenges the passivity of reading by allowing for the marking of content. The pages are decided by the authors and it opens a possibility for non-authors in a city to co-write and to share their thoughts with others.
The City Diary was published by Zadar City Library in 2004.
English version of the book is located in Peckham Library, SE London.
