I’ll admit that I attended one TINY textbook fire as a teenager. It was somebody’s math book, and we just stuck it in a park barbecue and then melted some cups over it, nothing particularly Fahrenheit 451. But there are better ways to dispose of textbooks that you hate, or just don’t need anymore, but for whatever reason can’t sell back. Chinese artist Liu Wei, for instance, does it by making spectacular carved-book cityscapes.
Liu’s sculptures are made of schoolbooks held together with wood and steel, and some are more than 14 feet tall. If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris (la dee da) you can see them at the Almine Rech gallery through May 16. Otherwise, you’ll have to head over to your local high school and go dumpster diving.
