The Cellar - Feb 1st, 2019 : Luzinterruptus

Luzinterruptus is a group of Spanish designers who produce installations around the world.
They're mostly for be-nice-to-Mother-Nature-and-each-other causes. I’m not sure how, or even if, they get paid.
They did an instillation of LED lit books in Toronto, then again on Water street under the Brooklyn Bridge.
They must have had good feedback because Chicago and Detroit were considered to make it a hat trick.
Either they were afraid to strike out, or just afraid, but they settled on Ann Arbor for “Reading the Road”

http://cellar.org/img/annarbor1.jpg

Quote:

Thousands of books(11,000) spanned from sidewalk to sidewalk in Ann Arbor’s Literature vs Traffic installation, creating a space for quiet reflection on the value of pedestrian-friendly public spaces and the absence of noise pollution. The intersection of Liberty and State, a major juncture in this college town, was closed down for a day and night to allow the work to be deployed and enjoyed.

Volunteers attached small lights to the books, which were gifted back out to the community when the project was wrapped up — visitors were encouraged to take books with them when they left, leaving the streets clean and empty by midnight.

http://cellar.org/img/annarbor2.jpg

Quote:

“We want literature to take over the streets and to become the conqueror of all public places, offering passersby a traffic-free area that will, for a few hours, surrender to the humble might of the written word,” explain the designers. “Thus, a place in the city usually dedicated to speed, pollution, and noise, shall turn, for one night, into a place of peace, quiet, and coexistence, lighted by the soft dim light issued from the book pages.”

People used to chose the hustle and the bustle of the city, or the quiet serenity of the country.
As far as choosing, more often than not the pressure of money/family/employment forced or limited their choices.
Also living in the country can be the polar opposite of serene. Now some city folks want the best of both worlds.
Cities with their hard perpendicular surfaces are not conducive to quiet, so good luck with that.

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