Talk about a cool, educational project.
A “Floating Library” just landed on the waters of Echo Park Lake, and you’re free to peruse through all of its quirky and artistic books and zines as long as you paddle out to it.
According to LAist, it’s the first time the Floating Library has taken place in Echo Park and, actually, anywhere outside of Minnesota. The library is the brainchild of artist Sarah Peters, who has been hosting these short-term libraries on Minnesotan lakes for the last three years.
This time around, Peter’s joined by art space Machine Project, who’s hosting the four-day event from February 11 to 14 in conjunction with the Fourth Annual L.A. Art Book Fair, an event mostly taking place at MOCA’s Geffen space in Little Tokyo.
The Floating Library is a tiny eight-by-eight-square foot wooden raft lined with bookshelves that hold reading materials, with anything from zines to handcrafted books filled with stories, plays, artwork, poems and photography.
There are between 50 to 80 pieces of work on the raft, many of which come from local artists and as far as Philadelphia. They also have some of their special reference collections that can be found in bins on the raft. You can borrow some library materials to read from the Floating Library volunteers while you’re paddling around the lake, and then return it either back at the raft or in another bin on land.
A cool way to read a book while relaxing in the middle of Echo Park’s iconic lake.
