Abigail Reynolds is an artist working in sculpture, collage, print, moving image and performance, much of which is inspired by a deep love of books and libraries.

As part of British Art Show 9, Reynolds is developing Elliptical Reading, a regular reading hour at local libraries in each city of the BAS9 tour. Readers meet to share short sections from a favourite book, creating between them an unruly text of word collage, which builds over time.

In Manchester, Elliptical Reading is presented at Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, where visitors can find poetry which has been chosen by local readers, re-bound by the artist, and re-shelved by the readers in new places outside their usual categories. An insight into the reader’s choice is included on a bookmark in each book.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and watch the readings take place. There is no need to book, you are welcome to drop in to the library as the sessions take place.