The Library of Babel, by Jorge Louis Borges

My first read through of the text was a struggle and so my initial reaction was 'needs styling up, graphics and emphasis of key points' – this angle was for purely selfish reasons – I felt it was hard to read and needed some simplification for myself! However as the request wasn't to style up the text but to find a theme of interest and follow I resisted from doing the obvious.

An initial thought that came to mind was to explore other authors that I find easier to read. I like the lighthearted Sci Fi of Douglas Adams and found a nice quote in response to Borges enquiry into the meaning of the universe:


Although I love this quote, I felt that this wasn't necessarily the best 'visual' response so continued thinking about themes from the text.

Mathematics in Art
I found patterns and mathematics introduced through the text quite interesting. The matter of infinity is a constant theme. Through discussion with friends, it was suggested that perhaps all the text in the library equates to Pi with a base of 25? Obviously my friends are far more intelligent than I. Some visuals I found of interest whilst considering mathematics and geometry in art:

This visual from Graphis Diagram (1974) I find very interesting. The 'illusion' of infinity and display as an infographic links my previous study with my current module. The matter of sensory illusion is something I would like to consider further.

The traditional infinity sign (http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=25666747/) could be another route however is almost a little obvious.

I also came across some beautiful work by artist Emma Kunz http://www.emma-kunz-zentrum.ch/e/index_e.html?#galerie which I found to be both soothing and complex.
Emma Kunz was also a 'healer' and researcher and used her art as a method to display her research.

I also spent some considering how the circular book could be visualised. Initially I felt this could work well as shaped paper (see http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/06/25/what-to-do-with-old-books/) however this was purely for visual interest and I soon changed my mind as to how to reflect the book.

As the book reflects 'infinity', it could take a different from than a traditional book. The use of a Zoetrope could potentially indicate infinity.

The whole process has led to some deep conversations with friends. A quote of my boyfriends that I felt held some interest:
“the universe is expanding at such a rate that no matter how fast you go, you are always moving farther aware from the edge”