The Lost Library: the first 6 found objects

These six book-objects are part of a collection of twentythree found books in the floating plastic island that arrived at the Californian coast in the summer of 2083. Humans explored this island for three years before finally conquering and making it a state in 2086. The books seem to represent a period of time in at the beginning of the 21st century when the element called "plastic" played an important role in economic development. It is believed that this plastic caused the auto-destruction of a series of basic human needs. The investigators involved in this discovery have decided to call this collection of objects: Beautiful Trash: The Lost Library", referring to an ancient artist of Peruvian origin (formerly South America). This artist initiated the term BT (Beautiful Trash) in the year 2010, when he received an artist residency at the "De Young Museum" in San Francisco. He used plastic as the main element in his art. This collection of objects was documented in an actual book, which went out of print in the mid- twenty-first century. His art books became an obsession among art collectors.

New-Xim

In the year 2063, the plastic floating island, then called “The Trash Vortex" and which is now renamed "BT-Plax,” reached the California coast. A bridge was built to connect the island for further exploration. No inhabitants were found on the island and it became a new state after surprising quantities of treasures were found. Among them were deposits of synthetic bacteria used in the pharmaceutical and food industries, as well as water and fuel. Also found were three caverns with subterranean passages leading to one enclosure, where the hidden library is located in the heart of the BT-Plax. In this location the twentythree book-objects were found. The first one discovered was titled, "New Xim" which, apparently refers to a UV shape object with a cavity, holding a transparent plastic container where an ancient amulet used by the native South American of the earlier century; was found. It was a burned chicken bone considered "Lucky" . Also many colorful flexible pieces of plastic that were used as "erasers". All these elements seem to represent "luck" and "DNA.” The book-object gives definitions of key ideas ,for example: “Trasimeno”, “trash”, “trau-ma”, “tra-vail”. “Trasimeno", refers to a great battle fought in 217 BC, leaded by the Carthaginian general Anibal. "Tra-vail", means an oeuvre/work/piece of a painful character, that could be a reference to the construction of the library in the island BT-Plax. "Trash" refers to an old conception of waste that originally created the island "BT-Plax." The concepts of beauty and trash were contradictory. It is believed that this book-object, was an iconic representation about the way the plastic problem was being dealt with, but very little is yet known about it. Apparently, "New-Xim" was created in a period of time when "BT-Plax" was inhabited by a group of activist artists, followers of the "BT" philosophy. The book-object has a strange inscription in the posterior side, which says:” 0-07 a 052.033-X.” Its ritual use in celebrations in the "BT-Plax" before arriving to the Californian coast is still an enigma.

Creative Destruction

"Creative Destruction" is part of the book-object series used to understand both the process of plastic waste degradation and the symbolic importance of the butterfly; an insect that emerges from a larva, and then transforms into a beautiful chrysalis. The butterfly’s transformative process is much like how plastic emerged as a major technological development in the twentieth century until its complete disappearance in the mid twenty-first century. “Creative Destruction” also shows the symbolic importance of foods in times of massive consumerism. The authorities to establish the quarantine in the “BT-Plax” island, because of the butterfly, confiscated “Creative Destruction.” The butterfly’s symbolism trespassed legal borders. But the book-object, “Creative Destruction” was returned to the collection after verifying that it didn’t contain any danger of organic or molecular bacteria. The butterfly is currently extinct.

The House of Sleep

“The House of the Dream” was found under multiple layers of rocky plastic bacteria. The book-object contains twelve cavities; each of them explains a series of rituals in the dreams. Some investigators theorized that a sect was hypnotically induced to dream using Freud’s prohibited techniques. These were declared globally illegal in the so-called “Moment of the Intellectual Court” in the year 2057. The new government at the beginning of 2086 later restored them.

Prodigal Summer

"Prodigal Summer" according to the "Lost Library," researchers, was a bacteria created at the beginning of the XXI century in the laboratories of a Californian University. It was hoped that this microbe could eat the floating plastic trash island in the North Pacific Ocean, which was a concern worldwide. After many years of continued investigation, the bacteria was finally tested on a major scale in a floating garbage can in a Central American lake. After seven days the microbe pulverized the surface of 66 tons of plastic waste; the trash island disappeared, leaving the global population with a great hope for its non-biodegradable garbage. A few days later, a green-blue slightly solidified mass appeared floating in the lake. In the following weeks it converted into a quasi-plastic element, yet more resistant and harder than steel. It appears that these experiments served to turn the garbage into yet a different element. Years later, under the influence of another added microbe, the new substance was used in the design and engineering of homes, bridges, cars, etc. "Prodigal Summer" contains the enigma of the "Supla-Pet" microbe, now transformed into the most valuable resource in the trading market, beating gold, diamonds and plutonium.

The Terror Dream

"The Terror Dream" is a book-object that deals directly with a supposed terrorist attack that destroyed a leading financial center in an ancient city, called New York, killing more than 4,000 people and psychologically affecting the society for decades. This event was widely condemned and its impact caused controversy that lasted many years, culminating in the provocation of the 2043 war. Specialists have identified the use of miniature heroes referred to in the book during the pre-war period. It seems those figures were given away perhaps as religious totems during meals in certain establishments.

The Covenant

"The Covenant" is a book-object of great value among the researchers of "The Lost Library". Their interest resides in the symbolism of "Petacocha's" birth. Supposedly the "new god," “Petacocha” was created from water, infected plastic and the microbes that were meant to eat the plastic in the ocean. They believe that Petacocha may be the combination of the term "Pet", which refers to the old usage of polyethylene; and "Cocha", which refers to an ancient pre-Columbian deity related to water and maternity.

Beautiful Trash BOOK Release Party, August 4th, 2012

Manuscripts by Adrian Arias

Translation by Nina Serrano

Recopilation by Zaaldrine Aspario

Design by Danica Conneely

printed in a limited edition of 333

numered & signed by the author

BOOK Release Party/MAPP

Galeria de la Raza

corner of Bryant Street @ 24th Street, San Francisco, California

AUGUST 4th, 8:08pm

FREE and full of performances

Special guests:

La Tania

Roberto Aguilar

Nina Serrano

Sonia Caltvedt

Kenya Moses

and more