Open Lab: Libri Belli

To celebreate together the new year, Palazzo Grassi - Punta della Dogana has a special edition of Open Lab, the format conceived by the museum and led by guests of exception, that accompanied the public during 2020 with many activities to be done from from.

With Libri Belli, Livia Satriano leads the Open Lab A book is a book is a book on the Instagram profile of @palazzo_grassi. She invites participants to think about books as objects, about their secret lives and the many meanings we can give them.

The public is invited to take part by following simple instructions, meant to stimulate unique points of view on their own daily life. The activities are published on the Instagram account with the hashtag #PalazzoGrassiatyours.

Libri Belli is a project conceived and curated by Livia Satriano on Instagram with the aim to rediscover old Italian books through their cover. Beautiful editions of classic books and publications that have not had the fortune to be under the spotlight but are nevertheless worth noticing.

Day 1
Books as custodians

“A book can be a box full of stories and memories. What did a particular book mean to someone at a specific time? It was received as a present, passed on, exchanged as a token of love or of friendship? I like to keep everything I find in the second-hand books I find. Postcards, photographs, letters and notes… I find incredible things. I am convinced that sooner or later all the stories will come together.”

Go look for objects, papers and memories forgotten or kept between the pages of your books.

Day 2
Talking books

“Books can “talk” more than we believe, even before we open them and turn their pages. It is enough to look at the title on the spine or at the cover. On the shelves of a bookshop, when they go unobserved, books very often have fun talking to each other. At times I happen to notice that two books placed next to each other have a quick chat.”

Let your books “talk” by composing with their spines: a message to whoever you want, a sentence that describe you or a good omen for the future.

Day 3
Books as oracles

“You don’t need the I Ching to receive answers from a book. Oftentimes a message is right in front of us, we only need to grasp it. It can work with a book left on your bedside table, with your favourite book but also with a book chosen at random. If you want your book to talk to you, it will. Today when I turned to Il diario degli errori by Flaiano it came up with this answer.”

Choose a book you think can give you answers. Ask the book a question, open it at random and read the answer it has for you.