© 2013-2024 Sue Jeong Ka
Book Repair Lab, 2009-2014, 2019-Ongong
Site-specific installation, public library books, newsprint paper, barcode sticker
Commissioned by A47 Mobile Library (MX), Talcual (MX), Rowan University (NJ), The New School/Parsons School of Design (NY)
Curated by Citlali López Maldonado (MX), Sara Reisman (NY/NJ), and many others
Book Repair Lab takes an interventionist approach to book restoration within public libraries and questions what is circulation and consumption of knowledge. Since 2009, Book Repair Lab has borrowed damaged books from public libraries in the US, Mexico, and Korea in order to repair the books, provide new book covers, replace missing pages, and then return them with the original library barcode intact.
Book Repair Lab is a new instantiation of the past project Refresh Library Lab since 2019. Recently, the project has sent repaired books to incarcerated people through public library branches in correctional facilities.