Sitterwerk, Dynamic Order, 2006

When thinking about what the future of publishing may look like, I was reminded of Sitterwerk’s Dynamic Library (thank you Jayme). This library uses RFID technology to digitally track and systemize the volumes that run throughout its space. This technology frees the library from traditional modes of organization, creating novel ways to experience the content. Each user of the collection can shape the space in new combinations and enjoy serendipitous discoveries. The interactive workspace is accompanied by a digital library, which catalogues the inventory in real time. The tables throughout the library are lined with RFID antennas that track the books lying on the table’s surface, and upload them directly into a digital space. An individual can use this as a private archive throughout the process of research. The archive can then be printed into a physical booklet, or “Bibliozine,” which can then be added back to the library. I think what is so interesting about The Dynamic Order in Sitterwerk is that it is an intersection between the physical, the haptic, the digital, and the personal. The dynamism of the space creates a new sense of accessibility and enriches the research process. Modes of publication continue to morph and flourish, and I wonder how combinations between the new and the old, between technology and the analogue, will produce novel ways of publishing. https://www.sitterwerk.ch/En/Dynamische-Ordnung