RESTRICTED SECTION, 2016
Three sound books
by Joan Li

In the ADM Library, the unspoken universal rule of keeping silent is instinctive to all. It is assumed that the point of keeping quiet within the compounds of the library is to provide optimum comfort and a conducive study environment for everyone. Hence, any forms of sound is deem as a disturbance.

The ‘Restricted Section’ highlights the fact that it is not within the human comfort to achieve absolute silence. It is human nature to produce a certain level of noise wherever we go – our movements, sneezing, coughing, footsteps, expression of thoughts, human communication, reactions, and so on. In the ‘Tempted’ series, we uncover the controlled and uncontrolled aspects of the noises we make in the library, the urge of making them and reintroduce them into the space as a new form of comfort. This work aims to eliminate the stress of one being excessively self-conscious about the noises we make in the library, and to encourage a study environment where students can truly be comfortable about their actions.