Watch: This imaginative replica of the Parthenon was built with 100,000 copies of banned books
This ambitious project stands tall against all forms of ‘forbidden’ art.
A life-size replica of the Greek Parthenon has been rebuilt in Kassel, Germany, using, not conventional building material, but 1,00,000 copies of 170 banned books. Built by pop art icon Marta Minujin, the Parthenon of Books is the highlight of Documenta, a popular contemporary art show in Germany.
The replica stands as a political piece of performance art, protesting against censorship and political repression. Minujin, who is from Argentina, lived under a military dictatorship from 1971 to 1983, which imposed heavy censorship on people, often resorting to burning books. This Parthenon is built symbolically at Friedrichsplatz in Kassel where, in 1933, Nazis burnt thousands of books by Jews and Marxist writers.
“Books are the maker of culture. The people learn to think through books. People can select what they want to read, and some people forbid what the other wants to read,” said Minujin. She will continue to collect banned books until December, when Documenta ends, following which they will be redistributed to the public.
“This Parthenon made out of books from all over the world is to show how diversity is welcome to our future,” she said in the video posted below.