< a network of art x discipline libraries in vietnam >
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The Youth Culture Library aims to be both a resource provider and a space creator. The kinds of resources we target in our collections are: physical, printed objects; hard-to-find in Vietnam, but spilling out of closets in wealthier countries; the type of inspiration you can’t get on the internet.
Through installing niche collections in public spaces in Vietnam, we hope to bring people interested in these disciplines together, giving them a dedicated space for focused nerding out. |
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WHY?In Vietnam, books that smell nice and cost $50 (before 100% import tax) are generally brought back from foreign countries, by people with the means to do so.
In advanced economies, people take this raw culture for granted – it’s in the pages of old magazines in the attic, on the sidewalk after a moving sale, on the playlist of hip cafés. But in Vietnam, it’s mostly just on the internet. This puts people who want to participate in fields with global standards like art and design at a disadvantage. If globalization is going to be anything like a fair deal, we need to even the playing field. |
HOW?YCL aims to transplant some of that cultural accumulation from one part of the world to another, and in doing so spread out the world’s pop cultural inheritance.
YCL aims to be a kind of cultural incubator – one not focused on results but instead on access, wherever it may lead. We set up our shelves in cafés and other public spaces, to eliminate the access impediment that designated art spaces represent for many. In doing so, we hope to simulate the kind of atmosphere that many of our donors grew up in – surrounded by a cultural wealth that they could encounter just by having friends with hip interests. |
How you can help
Give us stuff! We are currently collecting for:
– Vintage Magazine Library @ Kafeville, Hanoi (we're looking for magazines from the 1980s or earlier)
– Children's Books Library @ TBD (we're hoping for classy picture books like Curious George and Dr. Seuss)
– Grafitti Library @ The Creative Arsenal, Hanoi Rock City (books and magazines)
– Vintage Magazine Library @ Kafeville, Hanoi (we're looking for magazines from the 1980s or earlier)
– Children's Books Library @ TBD (we're hoping for classy picture books like Curious George and Dr. Seuss)
– Grafitti Library @ The Creative Arsenal, Hanoi Rock City (books and magazines)
