Book Week Scotland Book Sculptures Treasure Hunt

 

As part of the first ever Book Week Scotland in 2012, I came up with the idea to hold a national treasure hunt with a very literary twist to capture the imagination of the book-loving public and get people involved online. The idea was to commission 5 sculptures from Edinburgh's anonymous book sculptor, who had been leaving sculptures mysteriously around the city in tribute to some amazing cultural organisations, then hide them in a variety of secret locations around Scotland and then release a set of clues each day of the week to lead some industrious people to hunt down the sculptures to their locations. 

 

The treasure hunt was successful and thanks to the brilliant artistry of the mysterious book sculptor, the public imagination was captured by these incredible sculptures. Each was based on a famous work of Scottish literature and then hidden in a related location.  

This was just one of the successful projects that comprised the first Book Week Scotland and it was also one of the most mystery-filled I have or may ever take part in, I was commissioning an artist I never met nor still do not know their identity! I also had to work with my intrepid and thankfully very trusting and adventurous colleagues to transport the sculptures to their five secret locations, and to figure out the mechanics of a national online treasure hunt, and how to make it work well, not to mention some devilish clues to lay the trail. 

 

The 5 sculptures were included in the book GiftEd: The Tale of 10 Mysterious Book Sculptures Gifted to the City of Words & Ideas

There is a Wikipedia entry on the Scottish Book Sculptures where you can read more about the phenomenon of the book sculptures and read some of the news coverage about the 5 2012 Book Week Scotland set. 

 

At time of writing the 5 sculptures are still on display in the foyer of the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. 

 

Photo Credit: Sasha DeBuyl, who hid with me behind the Seabird Centre in North Berwick to capture it.