The Word Defiant

No this isn't my new bath, honest! It's part of an art exhibition at Blickling called The Word Defiant. This is 'an immersive experience created by internationally acclaimed theatre company Les Enfant Terribles, as part of the National Trust's Contemporary Arts programme'. One of the aims of the installations in various rooms in the house is to make you think about the importance of books and the challenges they face around the world. 

The installations included The Word Banned, The Word Redacted, The Word Burned, The Word Superseded, The Word Neglected, and the one in my photo - The Word Drowned. This represents the flooding in Venice and the way a bookshop there stores their books in basins, bathtubs and even a gondola to keep them safe.

I've added a photo of The Word Defiant which is in the Long Gallery which holds the most significant book collection cared for by the National Trust. There are about 12,500 books in the library, books that are defiant in the face of the threats explored in the other six installations.  I took it from a 'worms eye view' as this is the challenge of our next U3A meeting - in this case a bookworm's view :)

It was a very good art installation - interesting, enjoyable and thought provoking and I'd definitely recommend it if you're in the area.