'Momentary Monument - The Library' by the artist Lara Favaretto is an installation consisting of a monolithic bookcase - 3 metres tall and 9 metres wide - displaying 2,488 unwanted books. They were donated to the artist and the gallery from local libraries and second-hand bookshops from across Edinburgh and the Lothians, saving them from their destined disposal. Each book contains a folded image from the artist’s archive, loosely placed between the pages. During the exhibition, visitors are invited to leaf through the books and take away one of their choosing. It is in the audience’s hands to dismantle the ‘monument’ and the sum of its parts are thus re-distributed to bookshelves in people’s homes across the city.

Silvan was commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh University, to design, fabricate and install the bookcase, including how to incorporate the structure into a freestanding wall. The technical design was carefully detailed to ensure the structure was simple to remove and reconfigure for future use or to be repurposed as flexiblly as possible.