The leaves will fall

The importance of the National Library for the country is the same as the importance of memory for a person.” Thus, the writer Enrique Santos appreciated the second public library in the Americas. Surely, the number of Colombians who understand the importance of this institution, the National Library, is extremely low. However, since 1773 this organization has been responsible for preserving all national documents, the robust donations of collections from scholars, and even the original scores of hymns and traditional songs. On 24th Street in Bogotá, behind the Independence Park, is the current headquarters of the library, housed in one of Colombia's untouchable National Monuments.

In 2019, a councilman from the capital shared a video showing the felling of a tree. The citizens' indignation was already heated due to numerous tree losses in the city. But this particular arboricide had two elements that made it stand out: the tree was listed in the catalogue of heritage and public interest trees, and its location was on the sidewalk of the caretaker National Library of Colombia.

“The Leaves Will Fall” is a multimedia project that recreates the principle of an archaic piece of furniture: a vertical library for contour appreciation. Built in wood, it features 16 drawers, a niche, and dozens of graphic pieces. Creating a symbiosis between the fallen tree and the heritage institution in every corner, the project reflects on the hierarchy of information and the selection of importance in public interest. It invites the viewer to interact with its parts to recreate a library that does not house national heritage, but instead preserves the memory of an unfortunate event and highlights the information not inscribed on pages but on the trunks that produce and wave them.