Bookshelf of the Week: David Raymond Conroy’s book column

It is perhaps ironic that the subject for week’s Bookshelf of the Week, is marked by the very absence of a bookshelf. But I don’t care because I’m a rebel, and I like to mix things up a bit .

Anyway, this rather random triptych image of a book column (you can see it slightly better on the original webpage) is not as random as you may think. “All the books I own but haven’t read, stacked up in my house, in a place where the pile reaches from the floor to the ceiling” (2006) to give it its full name, is actually an art piece and it’s currently on display (‘in the flesh’ not a picture), at the Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, as part of They Do Things Differently There exhibition, which showcases the work of a number of Edinburgh College of Art students.

I visited the exhibition on Saturday and found it to be exquisite. Aside from it featuring a piece from one of my favourite student artists of the moment, Omar Zingaro Bhatia (this is a picture of his piece entitled, An Excerpt From The Bhatia Family Archives), David Raymond Conroy’s book column enthralled me – and with me being a bibliophile why wouldn’t it?

Situated on the upper floor of the gallery, Conroy’s bookish art creation can be found nestled in a corner. Sitting isolated in a gallery environment and illuminated by direct spotlighting, Conroy’s art piece really stands out as a kind of tribute to the unread book pile; a ubiquitous feature in the homes of all bibliophiles, and it’s a real delight to see such reverence being paid to the entity that haunts every serious reader on a daily basis. I love it!

As to some of the titles that can be found in Conroy’s book column? Well, I didn’t have the foresight to take any notes, but from memory I can recall Murakami, Huxley, Proust, Vonnegut and John Banville being there, along with some book on Texans, another one on Symbolist art, and even an anthology of love stories (I think that’s what it was). Whatever else may be present in the stack it’s certainly an eclectic mix, and one which is perhaps wholly indicative, for the most part at least, of belonging to a male reader.

So that’s David Raymond Conroy “All the books I own but haven’t read, stacked up in my house, in a place where the pile reaches from the floor to the ceiling” and you can go marvel at it in the University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery until June 19th.

Over to you then fellow reader. What do you think of when you see Conroy’s book column? Does it remind you of your own unread piles? And what of its value as an art piece? Do you consider Conroy to be clever in his creation, or was he just short on ideas and running a bit late with the deadline for his art assignment? I’m kidding! As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.