For Book Lovers (8 Photos)
By Vidar
Books have a way of getting everywhere.
A tree becomes a library, a tiny reader settles outside a bookshop in Indiana, and a building turns into a giant bookshelf. Elsewhere, a fox offers reading advice and a library roof becomes an open book. These eight works bring books into streets, schoolyards and unexpected corners.
More: Books Take You Anywhere (8 Photos)
🌳 De (B)ruilboom — By René Bruns in Ruurlo, Netherlands 🇳🇱
An old chestnut trunk holds ten small book cabinets, each fitted with a glass door. René Bruns built the book tree for the local neighborhood association in 2012, using a trunk estimated to be 350–400 years old. It opened on September 23, 2012, at the corner of Batsdijk and Vortsterkampweg in Ruurlo. Readers can borrow its books for up to a month.
📖 Reading is Enflowering — By David Zinn in Columbus, Indiana, USA 🇺🇸
A tiny reader sits on a real window ledge, with flowers growing from its head. David Zinn made this temporary chalk-and-charcoal drawing outside Viewpoint Books in Columbus, Indiana, on August 1, 2021.
📚 Bookshelf Mural — By JanIsDeMan and Deef Feed in Utrecht, Netherlands 🇳🇱
Three painted shelves follow the stepped shape of this corner building. Oversized book spines, a globe and deep shadows make the flat wall look like a cabinet facing the street. For JanIsDeMan and Deef Feed’s bookshelf, the artists asked neighbors to choose their favorite books. Their choices became 49 book covers in seven languages, painted at the corner of Mimosastraat and Amsterdamsestraatweg.
🔗 JanIsDeMan on Instagram · Deef Feed — project
🌿 L’arbre à livres — By SETH in Nong Khiaw, Laos 🇱🇦
A painted girl and a real child read side by side at different scales. SETH created L’arbre à livres at Ma Led Phan Library. Run by NK Seeds, the library is based at Nong Khiaw’s public school and provides free books and English-learning activities.
🦊 The Fox and the Book — By HERA in Vincennes, France 🇫🇷
A large fox reads above the entrance to Millepages, while a child holds onto its tail. The French text on the wall tells a short story: children ask the fox how to escape everyday life, and it answers that they only need to open a book. HERA’s mural was part of Le Point Millepages’ temporary art programme.
🔗 HERA on Instagram. Photo: De La Couleur Sur Nos Murs
📚 Reaching Higher — By MAYE in Nézignan-l’Évêque, France 🇫🇷
A stack of books gives this long-legged character a little extra height. MAYE painted the work at Georges Brassens school as part of a project connecting the school and its future media library. During the project, each class had a chance to meet the artist.
🙃 Le Monde à l’envers — By Zabou in Moûtiers, France 🇫🇷
The triangular roof becomes an open book when this library mural is viewed upside down. Zabou painted a woman lying among grass and dandelions for Éternelles Crapules festival. The inverted photograph reveals how the roofline completes the image.
🔗 Zabou on Instagram. Photo: Zabou
📚 A Neighborhood’s Bookshelf — By JanIsDeMan in The Hague, Netherlands 🇳🇱
The books on this apartment wall came from local children’s own favorites. JanIsDeMan painted their choices on Spilstraat in Molenwijk, with a white stork standing beside the upper row. Children from three nearby primary schools joined the unveiling on April 16, 2024.
Which one is your favorite?
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