A Tool / Book / Reference-guide / Shelf / Library FOR Convivial Tools / Books / Reference-guides / Shelves / Libraries
The library proposes a workshop with the plan of republishing Valentina Borremans’ Reference Guide to Convivial Tools in digital format. The Guide is a collection of books, journals and manuals that together constitute a body of technical knowledge diverting from the industrial and capitalist mode of production, at the same time it is a practical instantiation of Ivan Illich’s concept of convivial tools.
Compiled in the late 70s in connection with Borremans’ involvement with the CIDOC library - a centre for autonomous type of learning she co-founded in Mexico - this document sits at an interesting intersection between bibliographic index, guide and political statement.
In Illich’s words, “this looks like a book to be used in a library — but the library where it could be used does not yet exist.”
This act of republishing will be an occasion to experiment with the epub format, finding together a way to make the sourcebook into the library-shelf it envisions. By playing with the possibilities of this digital book format, we will test novel reference tools in order to link the bibliographic data to their source and open up the guide to possible expansion and inclusion of more recent materials.
With this workshop the library wants not only to incorporate - and thereby make accessible - the material that the guide gathers, it also wants to embrace and extend the research field of convivial technologies.
To join the workshop send an email to: library@rietveldacademie.nl