313

Arte Útil archive nr:

313

Initiator:

Bik van der Pol

Location:

The Netherlands

Category:

pedagogical, politics, economy

Users:

Bik van der Pol, readers of Loompanics publications and users of the museum

Certification:

implemented

Duration:

2001- ongoing

Bik van der Pol
-
Loompanics

Description:

Bik van der Pol presented a selection of 140 books from Loompanics Unlimited publishers, Washington. Out of business since 2006, this publishing house had for decades published manuals that ‘your mother and the state would rather you didn’t read’. Subjects varied from practical handbooks on ‘How to Develop a Low- Cost Family Food- Storage System’ to less generally acceptable publications as ‘Gourmet Cannabis Cookery’ and controversial self-help books as ‘How to Start Your Own Country’, ‘Homemade Guns and Homemade Arms’, or ‘How to Clear Your Adult and Juvenile Criminal Records’. Users are invited to read the publications and make copies of the manuals, meaning they can follow instructions and realise projects on their own.

Goals:

To allow users free access to material, bypassing reproduction rights and encouraging them to use the manuals themselves.

Beneficial Outcomes:

Users gain free access to Loompanics publications

Images: