Oslo's Future Library collects an unpublished manuscript each year for publication in 2114. The trees that will supply the paper are growing alongside the collection.
Article
A new work by Han Kang is in a library, but you cannot open it. You can learn the title and the author's name; reading the text must wait until 2114. Future Library in Oslo, Norway, is an art project that holds today's manuscripts for future readers. These are not previously published books temporarily taken out of circulation.
Artist Katie Paterson began the century-long project in 2014. Each year, one writer contributes a new work, which is stored without being made public. Margaret Atwood was the first contributor, and Han Kang has also taken part. Waiting without knowing what the manuscripts contain is part of the project.
A thousand trees were planted in Nordmarka, outside Oslo. The plan is to grow them to supply paper for printing the manuscripts in 2114: the writing comes first, the paper later. Caring for the forest must continue long after each writer has finished.
The manuscripts are housed in a special room at Oslo's Deichman Bjørvika library. The wood-lined Silent Room displays authors' names and the titles of their works, while the texts remain inaccessible. Visitors today see the space that will hold the manuscripts for the next generation, rather than their contents.
Setting a publication date is not enough to keep this promise. The forest and manuscripts need protection, and the work must continue as those responsible change. That makes the long-term stewardship of the City of Oslo and the trust important. Delivering the texts to readers in 2114 means passing on both the manuscripts and responsibility for their care.
Today's readers cannot judge how these works end. They can, however, watch the trees that will become their paper grow. The stored manuscripts and the trees in the forest are waiting for the same publication date.
Sources and editorial notes
Future Library · Project · Participating Artist · Forest and Storage Plan
Future Library · Official essay on Han Kang’s participation
Editorial note: Factual statements are based on the sources above; interpretations reflect MUADAILY's editorial perspective. Image: Einar Aslaksen · Future Library Silent Room / Katie Paterson.
Photograph / image source
Einar Aslaksen · Future Library Silent Room / Katie Paterson
Image description: A visitor inside the wood-lined Silent Room where Future Library manuscripts are kept
Original aspect ratio preserved; resized and reformatted for web display
Machine-translated from Korean. Read the original.
