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All Czechia Prague Idiom Installation / Book Tower

Idiom Installation / Book Tower

A Jenga-style cylindrical tower of books that appears to go on forever.

Prague, Czechia

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Sebastián Wortys
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The ‘Idiom’ installation at the Prague Municipal Library.   Public Domain
The illusion of infinity is created using mirrors.   Public Domain
The tower has a tear-shaped opening on its side, allowing visitors to peek and click some pictures.   Sebastian Wortys / Atlas Obscura User
The opening allows visitors to peek in and take a selfie.   Sebastian Wortys / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
People in Idiom Installation  
People in Idiom Installation  
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  pomyjovae / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  pomyjovae / Atlas Obscura User
  themilby5 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

For bibliophiles, an infinite tower of books is a nightmare disguised as a dream—a huge collection of literature that you can’t get at because pulling a book or two out will cause the collapse of the tower. But it does make for a wonderful sight.

A real-life iteration of this dream-nightmare is on display at the Prague Municipal Library. Artist Matej Kren’s Idiom is a long-term art installation where 8,000 books are stacked in a cylindrical tower. Mirrors placed at the bottom and the top give the exhibit the illusion of being infinite. A tear-shaped opening on one side of the tower allows visitors to peek in and experience what it would be like to drown in a book well.

Idiom was originally displayed at the Sao Paulo International Biennial in 1995, and found a permanent home in the entrance hall of the Czech library in 1998. This literary wormhole has become a local landmark in its own right, even featured on the cover of Science magazine in 2011.

Kren, who was born in Trencin, Slovakia, explores the theme of infinite knowledge offered by books in many of his works. "Gravity Mixer" is another book-themed installation, where Kren created a rotunda of books, and "Passage" in Bratislava is an endless looming wall of literature.

Related Tags

Books Literature Art Installations Wells

Know Before You Go

The idiom is very popular so be prepared to queue. How long you may wait in line is visible in the pictures (30 minutes from the door, 60 minutes from the bus stop, up to 90 minutes from the edge of the building). The waiting time is longer during holidays and weekends.

Come on time. Best to arrive at least two hours before closing time. The library staff usually closes the line one hour before closing time. They also moderate the line to make sure as many people as possible are able to see the tower.

Public toilets are in the basement of the library. Entrance is free of charge.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sebastian Wortys

Edited By

PrestonW, The Popuplady, Snowdrop68, pomyjovae...

  • PrestonW
  • The Popuplady
  • Snowdrop68
  • pomyjovae
  • Kavya Ram Mohan
  • rbenn250
  • breaingram
  • themilby5
  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • 9bd9hfmtx2

Published

May 4, 2017

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  • http://relax.lidovky.cz/prestizni-casopis-science-ma-na-titulce-dilo-z-prazske-knihovny-p82-/veda.aspx?c=A110113_200741_ln_veda_ter
  • http://orcp.hustoj.com/2016/01/19/culturomics-2010/
  • http://www.matejkren.cz/en/matej-kren/biography.php
  • http://inhabitat.com/matej-krens-idiom-is-a-spellbinding-tower-made-from-hundreds-of-books/
  • http://www.prague.net/blog/article/274/matej-kren-the-author-of-the-sculpture-in-the-municipal-library
Idiom Installation / Book Tower
1 Mariánské nám.
Prague
Czechia
50.08741, 14.417407
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