Cara Barer

Cara Barer

A random encounter with the Houston Yellow Pages on Drew Street was the initial inspiration for this project. After photographing that abandoned book, I realized that I owned many books that were no longer of use to me, or anyone else.

Would I ever need Windows 95 again? After soaking it in the bathtub for a few hours, it had a new shape and purpose. Half Price Books became a regular haunt, and an abandoned house gave me a set of outdated reference books, complete with mold and neglect. Sculpting segued to thoughts on obsolescence, and the relevance of libraries in this century.

With the discarded books that I have aquired through different means, I am attempting to blur the line between objects, sculpture, and photography. This project has become a journey that continues to evolve. Moreover, it has unfolded in ways that have surprised and galvanized me to carry on, and search for more ways to make us consider the future of books.