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INVENTORY OF LOST BOOKS

What is lost when books are silenced?

Inventory of Lost Books is a series of four immersive, participatory audio-visual installations exploring the ongoing history of book suppression, with a particular focus on contemporary threats to intellectual freedom in the United States from 2024–2027.

Created and conceived by Ohio-based book artist Amanda Love, the project is developed in partnership with sound composer Christophe Preissing and in collaboration with video artist Liviu Pasare. Together, the artists examine our complex relationship with knowledge, tracing the evolution of documentation and its significance across historical and contemporary contexts.

Through video, sound, lighting, and sculptural elements, Inventory of Lost Books raises awareness of the precariousness of books, memory, and free thought. Each installation can stand independently or function as part of the larger series, allowing flexibility across a range of presentation environments while contributing to a broader reflection on knowledge, identity, censorship, and cultural heritage.

At once immersive and urgent, Inventory of Lost Books invites visitors to consider their own relationship with books, the power structures that shape access to information, and the ongoing struggle for intellectual freedom. Each chapter serves not only as a standalone experience, but also as part of a larger call to action against the erasure of ideas, histories, and cultural memory.

Inventory of Lost Books asks what is lost when books are silenced — and what responsibility we share in preserving access to stories, histories, and ideas.

Chapter 1: Stacks

Chapter 2: Judgement
Chicago — August 2026

Chapter 3: Silenced
Chicago — August 2026

Chapter 4: Pulp
CLEVELAND March 2027