The gallery of The Laurence Sterne Museum at Shandy Hall, Coxwold, was transformed into a bookshop and reading space by Information As Material for one day. In conjunction, a cycle of public readings by Kenneth Goldsmith, Alan Halsey, Ira Lightman, Hester Reeve, and Nick Thurston took place in the rooms of Laurence Sterne’s former residence; plus, down the road at the Coxwold vilage hall, the second screening of Simon Morris's debut documentary film, sucking on words was held.
All the stock for the shop was donated by sympathetic artists and publishers from around the world. It was al for sale at relatively cheap prices, only for that day and from the gallery-cum-shop. To get a bargain, punters had to visit the museum. The money from all the sales went directly to the Trust’s fundraising programme for the re-development of the Hall’s roof.
The museum is small, under-financed and geographically isolated, but dedicated to a progressive approach to furthering the legacy of the eighteenth-century English writer, Laurence Sterne (1713-68). All the unsold stock went into the museum’s library collection.
The event came the day after the world premiere of the film sucking on words, which was hosted by the British Library, London.
