The Pile of Stone Books

sketchfab

The Stack of Stone Tomes (Boekenstapel) is a collaborative creation by the German artistic duo Wolfgang Kubach and Anna Kubach-Wilmsen. Both artists honed their skills at Munich's prestigious Academy of Fine Arts, with Wolfgang concentrating on painting and Anna specializing in sculpting. In 1976, they began crafting stone tomes, and four years later, they started constructing towering stacks from these stones. For the duo, the earthy material embodies the evolution of our planet, as each stone possesses its own distinct narrative. By shaping the stones into book forms, viewers are empowered to 'read' their individual stories by hand. The Stack of Stone Tomes was installed in 2004 within the Hof van Tilly courtyard at Maastricht University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (50°51‘00.3”N, 5°41‘07.7”E). The sculpture's placement aimed to enhance the study and work environment for students and staff. The artwork is comprised of twelve stones sourced from five diverse continents. The 3D model was designed by Dang, Sharon and Nikolic, Emilija – talented students from University College Maastricht.