Closing Party: Novel: A Living Installation June 4, 2005

At 9pm on May 7th, 2005, three novelists will be enclosed within three individual habitats designed and constructed by three teams of architect/artists. For thirty days, this will be their reality. Nightly, they will dine together (courtesy of a revolving cast of chefs). Public readings of the novels-in-progress will be held every Saturday evening, with viewing hours throughout the week. On June 4th, each writer will emerge from his or her habitat, having completed a novel.

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The three habitats will be constructed during months of collaboration between the writers and architects. This process will address complex issues of design, desire, and space (or lack thereof). NOVEL takes the isolation of the writer to a rather extreme conclusion in order to investigate what will be produced under those conditions. But, just as writing is solitary, it is also a performance. The writer, sitting alone, is always conscious of an audience, whoever that may be. NOVEL combines the private and public aspects of writing in a striking way. The goal for NOVEL is to facilitate the production of quality fiction and explore the act of writing itself as a performance, installation, and kinetic, living sculpture.