Rule No. 5
An Interactive Audio Installation
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012February 27, 2023 - Ongoing
Bobst Library, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Floors
The Library is a Growing Organism
“A library is a growing organism,” reads the fifth “rule” of library science as penned in 1931 by S.R. Ranganathan, widely considered to be the father of library science. In a world where “library” and “book” have taken on vast new meanings it’s the last of Ranganathan’s five guiding principles that prompts us to continuously respond to our environment and deeply interrogate the ways we curate, collect, organize, and preserve information for generations to come.
As much as the home to all the world’s memory has changed since 1931, one aspect of the Library has remained constant: it is created and maintained by workers who, more often than not, remain unseen and under-recognized. While many books investigate the history and cultural meanings of libraries, popular titles are frequently authored by scholars external to the diverse and intricate work that happens within their walls.
Through six interactive sculptures, Rule No. 5 examines practices and objects that shape how we can search, who we will find, and what we remember. This interactive audio experience invites participants to open doors and drawers, plug in, and push buttons to explore and contemplate what it means to collect the world’s knowledge, preserve the past, and shape the future. To find the six interactive sculptures throughout Bobst Library, review the location guide.
Learn more about Rule No. 5.
About the Artists
Rule No. 5 was co-created by Amanda Belantara and A.M. Alpin.
A.M. Alpin is an award-winning filmmaker, librarian, and scholar who uses digital and analog technology to tell compelling stories. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, the Gotham/Independent Filmmaker Project, the Austin Film Society, the Southern Humanities Media Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. She serves as the Librarian for Creative and Public Scholarship at NYU Libraries.
Amanda Belantara is an audiovisual artist-anthropologist, librarian and co-founder of the art collective, Kinokophone. She has worked as a creative producer and teaching artist, collaborating with cultural heritage institutions in New York, Japan and the UK to create interactive audio installations, audio tours, and oral history projects. Her work has been supported by Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Agency for Public Affairs, Government of Japan. She is the Instruction and Outreach Librarian for the School of Professional Studies at NYU Libraries.
As a part of NYU’s commitment to global inclusion, our exhibitions are open to individuals of all backgrounds and identities.