I Saw This

A library catalog has been plundered, and a yellowed card hangs on the wall. Behind plexi—an artifact of old-school filing, and now an art label—the text of the card reads "It All Started With Eve/Armour, Richard Wilbur, 1906–", with one stray mark in red ink marring the empty space to the right of the text. Adjacent to the card is a framed microscope's view of it, containing just a six, a hyphen, and the red mark, blown up to several hundred times their original detail. Reproduced in what looks like 3-inch typewriter font, the number six shows wear in its printing: Black ink doesn't fill the curves of the number. The enlarged red mark, a long swoop like a squared-off hook, displays the texture of crayon, rough and incomplete, the rag of the paper showing through. A scolding is implied—whether it's to not use ink in a library (remember that?) or to not write on the card itself. (Never mind not returning the card to its proper spot in the catalog!) Referencing Eve, L.A.–based artist David Bunn calls out the sin committed by that library patron who long ago defaced this card. (This piece is part of the "Bookish" exhibit, curated by Carrie E.A. Scott, who has written for Seattle Weekly.)