07 June 2010

shelves project update

Since I installed the shelves at the beginning of April there has been moderate activity. On occasion I have left items on the shelves, such as books and pens, which I found elsewhere or which were given to me for this purpose. I have been trying to encourage a give-and-take of objects; I had put up a small sign using pushpins on the edge of one shelf which read "leave and item, take an item".
One time I left about a dozen second-hand books. When I went back two days later, ten books were left. Two more days later, nine books were left, but half of these had had their covers turned out to face passers-by, as if on display. It was kind of nice. The next time I went by, there were only three books left. Then the next time, there weren't any books.
I left some more books and pens another few times. Just stuff I had found elsewhere. Once I left Boggle. And then one time my friend told me he'd seen a stuffed toy animal on the shelf, shoved in-between! I hadn't put it there! Something was happening! When I went to look at it the next day, the stuffed animal was gone. Everything was gone. It was just the shelves and my little sign.
After a while I thought maybe I should throw a 'shelf party', to bring a new energy to the shelves. There is a lot of pedestrian traffic in the area. Then about a week and a half ago I went to the shelves and found that they had been kicked off! Someone had just come and kicked them off!
The notched in-between parts of the original shelves remain affixed to the wall, creating a new set of very small shelves. My 'leave an item, take an item' sign is now gone but a red push-pin was left, piercing one of the raw wood edges. Curious, this red push-pin, considering the pins that I had used were white.....
The shelves are still big enough for some items.

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