Another chance to experience the wonder that is…
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth!
Delighted to be exhibiting alongside a talented group of artists representing a decade of outstanding printmaking at Out of the Blueprint!
PRINT EXPO 2525, Out of the Blueprint, The Drill Hall, Dalmeny St, Leith, EH7 5AR
Friday 8th – Saturday 23rd August 2025, 10am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday.
To find out about how and why the library was created, hear about its Jura journey, and enjoy a bit of dystopian discussion please join us for an ‘Artist in Conversation’ event on Saturday 16th August at 2pm.
Free entry, book online at; https://shop.outoftheblueprint.org/products/meet-the-artists-print-expo-2525 (select Hans K Clausen)
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth at the University of Stirling.
21 January to 22 February 2025
The WSLoV&T was exhibited in the central atrium of the university library, hosted and facilitated through a collaboration between the University of Stirling Art Collection, the Centre for Research into Information, Surveillance and Privacy (CRISP), and the University Library.
The exhibition was launched with a public event with speakers: Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Stirling; Professor William Webster, Director of CRISP; Jenni Brotchie from the Information Commissioners Office; Quentin Kopp, Chair of the Orwell Society and Hans K Clausen the artist. During the exhibitions run there were a series of events including film screenings, tours, lectures and performances.
With thanks to everyone who made this experience so worthwhile and enjoyable, to all who visited and participated in the events, and to the University Library who generously donated a rare Braille edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four to TWSLOV&T.
www.crisp-surveillance.com/event/303/winston-smith-library-victory-and-truth
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth at The Society of Scottish Artists, Annual 2024, Royal Scottish Academy.
23 November to 11 December 2024
As the recipient of the Society of Scottish Artists Award in 2022, it was a pleasure and privilege to be invited to exhibit TWSLOV&T in the RSA Galleries as part of the 126th Annual, and to give an artist talk about the project. It was a joy to exhibit ‘the library’ in such grand surroundings and alongside the best of contemporary art in Scotland. Thank you to all the hard working SSA staff, and to everyone who took an interest in the WSLOV&T.
Nineteen Eighty-Four went home!
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth, in Jura, June 2024.
A short film by Campbell Lindsay.
Following the successful launch in Jura our ambition is to take ‘the library’ on tour, prior to securing a permanent home for it. The tour will include further community and school engagement, creative collaborations and events. The creation and launch of ‘the library’ was only possible through self-funding and generous in-kind and monetary help from like-minded supporters and believers in the project. To realise the tour and ensure the long-term future we will need new funds and new supporters.
If you are an individual who would like to make a donation you can do so via our Sum-Up account, QR code and link below. If you do this please drop us a message via [email protected] we’d love to hear from you and keep in touch.
If you represent an organisation, institution or business who may be interested in funding, sponsoring or collaborating with touring the project, or hosting us, please do get in touch via [email protected] We are also looking for suggestions and offers of venues we can tour to.
Thank you in advance for your support, belief and donation, it means a lot.
Hans K Clausen
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth Promo from Little City Pictures on Vimeo.
Hans K Clausen is building The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth. A visual art installation, a sculpture, a library, a museum, a curiosity, a venue. It will consist solely of one novel, 1,984 copies of George Orwell’s iconic novel1984, donated and sourced from around the world.
‘The Library’ will form a living, touring artwork and a forum for creativity, curiosity and conversation. It will be launched on the Isle of Jura on the 8th June 2024, a sort of homecoming for the novel, on the 75th anniversary of its UK publication, celebrating the power and longevity of Orwell’s writing and cultural impact. It will then go on tour across the UK visiting locations of significance to Orwell.
Many of the copies carry the evidence and patina of their previous ownership, underlining’s and footnotes from a studying student, library stamps and names of borrowers, incidental inclusions of lost bookmarks, pressed flowers, birthday wishes or thanks for help, or simply the wear and tear of readership.
Some have been personalised by their previous owners, like Mihaela from Romania who donated a 1990’s Romanian edition including her brief note; “…I’m from Romania, my first 27 years I lived in this book. I was always hungry, cold and scared, playing with equalities and better world ideas can be dangerous…” Or Sidney from the USA who wrote in her donated copy; “…So much from this book is relevant today, our data is valuable, we ought to protect it…keep questioning assumptions and seek reputable sources…”
Others have had artistic interventions or alterations from sketching, doodling or collage, including twenty copies donated from students from the Art and Design class at Cape Cod Community College, Massachusetts, where each student has treated their copy of the book as a blank canvas marking it in response to their reading experience.
‘The Library’ will exist to amplify the enduring significance of Orwell’s final novel (the first book I can remember reading to the end). I hope it will stand as a monument to publishing and the defiance of the printed word, and to affirm the timeless power of human story-telling to transcend borders, cultures and ideologies. It should be a celebration of the ethos and principles of public libraries, the pleasure and enlightenment of reading, and the timeless joy of holding a book in your hands.
Be a part of the library…
The project is still growing and there’s plenty room on the bespoke shelves of Winston Smith’s Library for more donated books. We’ll be very grateful for all donations, in any language and any condition, the more worn and personalised the better. All donors will receive a limited edition enamel badge a symbol of life time membership of The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth.
We’re also eager to hear from institutions, organisations, or any third parties who would be interested in partnering, hosting or sponsoring ‘The Library’ after its June 2024 launch in Jura, and from any artists or academics who may have ideas for collaborative events.
For book donations please post to:
Winston Smith, C/O Hans K Clausen, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, 21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT, Scotland.
For enquiries please email: [email protected]
For news follow us on Instagram: @winstonsmithlibrary
See you at the Jura Village Hall 08/06/2024!
