CRISP is very excited to announce that from 26 – January – 23 February we are jointly hosting The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth in collaboration with the University of Stirling Art Collection, with the support of The Orwell Society. 

About ‘The Library’
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth  is a work by artist Hans K Clausen. It is a visual art installation, a sculpture, a library, a museum, a curiosity, a venue, consisting solely of one novel, 1,984 copies of George Orwell’s iconic novel 1984, donated and sourced from around the world.

‘The Library’ forms a living, touring artwork and a forum for creativity, curiosity and conversation.

Many of the copies carry the evidence and patina of their previous ownership, underlinings and footnotes from a studying student, library stamps and names of borrowers, incidental inclusions of lost bookmarks, pressed flowers, birthday wishes or thanks for help, or simply the wear and tear of readership.

‘The Library’ exists to amplify the enduring significance of Orwell’s final novel. It stands as a monument to publishing and the defiance of the printed word, and to affirm the timeless power of human storytelling to transcend borders, cultures and ideologies. It should be a celebration of the ethos and principles of public libraries, the pleasure and enlightenment of reading, and the timeless joy of holding a book in your hands.

You are warmly invited to come and view this thought-provoking installation.

Accompanying events
While the exhibition is on, CRISP will be hosting a series of events relating to 1984. Click on each link to find out more and to reserve a place if you would like to attend.  All times are GMT.

28th January 2025 4pm: Exhibition Launch (In person, on Data Privacy Day)

5th February 2025 3pm: Black Mirror: Technologies of Surveillance, Control, and Satisfaction. A Pre-publication Book Launch Discussion with Professor Greg Singh (Hybrid)

11th February 2025 6.30pm: The CRISP Annual Lecture ‘Brave New World: The Future of Surveillance and Technology’ with Professor Joe Little. (Hybrid)

13th February 2025 4pm: The Manual (How to burn a million quid the AI way): A performance-lecture and conversation co-devised by Bill Drummond (KLF, Justified Ancients of Mu Mu). Public Lecture with Artificial Intelligence (In Person)

19th February 2025 3pm: Orwell and Archives. The 9th CRISP online seminar with Dr Ivan Szekely, Blinken OSA Archivum, Central European University (Hybrid)

To be announced
13th February 2025 Screening of 1984 with commentary by Orwell expert Professor Stephen Ingle, MacRobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling.
Date TBD Readings and Reflections from 1984 with authors Ken MacLeod and Ewan Morrison
Date TBD 1984 and the present day: a series of events for Schools.