Immersive Art Takes Center Stage
A major public installation on Miami Beach has become one of the standout attractions during Art Week. British artist Es Devlin has unveiled “Library of Us,” a monumental rotating bookshelf surrounded by water that invites visitors to read, reflect, and reconnect with their own relationship to books. The work is located outdoors along the shoreline beside the Faena Hotel and has quickly emerged as a centerpiece for the nonprofit Faena Art, which is marking a decade of programming dedicated to creative experimentation and public access.
The installation is a 50 foot wide triangular structure. It rotates like a compass needle in a shallow pool, giving the impression that the books and their ideas are in motion with the shifting tides. Devlin designed the piece to provoke emotional memories related to literacy and childhood, a theme she said emerged after recalling moments of overflowing bathtubs, as well as nearly being submerged in the River Thames as a young child. Her intention is to heighten viewers awareness that water, while vital, can destroy paper. The proximity of the two elements becomes a gentle reminder of what is fragile and must be protected.
Devlin said she was surprised by the emotional response she felt when seeing her installation completed. She noted that the sight of water surrounding a collection of diverse works, including titles by authors who have been banned in some places, carries a tension that resonates strongly in Miami. The city regularly confronts climate impacts such as flooding while also being affected by ongoing disputes about access to books and knowledge.
A Shared Space for Reading and Discovery
The installation contains 2500 books that have shaped the artist creatively and personally. They are arranged through a rainbow color spectrum, forming a continuous gradient of spines around the structure. Inside the rotating triangle, LED screens display excerpts from the books, while audio offers spoken passages to surround visitors with a chorus of voices. Spanish language narration is included to reflect Miami Dade Countys bilingual culture. Ray Ban Meta smart glasses are available for visitors who prefer automatic translation between English and Spanish.
The library is enclosed by a communal table that encourages visitors to sit, browse Devlins own annotated books, and spark spontaneous conversations as the structure turns. The inner portion of the table rotates along with the bookshelf while the outer ring remains still, creating gentle encounters between strangers experiencing the work together. Faena Art confirms that the books featured in the piece will be donated after the event to local cultural institutions and public schools, extending the installations impact beyond its temporary run.
Alan Faena, developer and founder of the cultural organization, called the work a fitting way to celebrate the achievements of Faena Art. Devlin herself has a continuing relationship with Miami. Her multi sensory installation “Forest of Us” is on display permanently at the Superblue center in Allapattah, and she has visited the region many times to study how her art interacts with a coastal environment that is physically changing.
Recent extreme weather briefly made installation work more challenging. Devlin said high water levels near the venue acted as an unexpected reminder of the climate risks threatening coastal cities. The artwork amplifies that message by placing literature at the waters edge while highlighting ideas that differ, challenge, or contradict one another. She said that seeing books by writers like Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, and Octavia Butler existing together under shifting light and rising tides illustrates the importance of defending diverse perspectives.
Additional Exhibitions Explore Memory and Time
Two complementary exhibitions deepen the themes introduced on the beach. Inside the Faena Art Project Room, visitors find “Tracing Time,” a display of painted TV screens, rotating objects, and paper drawings. Among these works is an early conceptual sketch for the outdoor library. Many pieces reference water as a constant force in life and memory, often inspired by Devlins own early experiences.
Meanwhile, in the lobby of the Faena Hotel, an installation titled “Reading Room” offers a long bench and shelves of books for quiet reflection. Devlin said both indoor and outdoor installations share a common goal. She wants the fast paced visitors of Art Week to pause long enough to experience literature with the same focus they may have had as young children learning to love stories.
She also pointed to a shift in her own reading habits as an inspiration for the work. She said that phones, screens, and constant notifications have pushed long form reading aside for many people. The project asks viewers to notice how they spend their attention and whether the deep absorption once available through books can be revived by turning down digital distractions.
Across all three locations, Devlin invites people to consider how knowledge is stored, shared, and preserved. She hopes the installations encourage a renewed practice of reading as a communal rather than isolated activity. Her message is that time spent with books, even in a moment of cultural noise, remains essential.
