72 hours of continuous reading

March 2, 2021

What were you doing from noon on February 25th to noon February 28? Marshall Weber was sitting in a chair, reading artists’ books to us.

NO SLEEP FOR BOOKLYN was a live-streamed marathon performance by Weber for the 2021 Printed Matter Virtual Art Book Fair. 72 continuous hours, reading artists’ books out loud from the Booklyn archives.

It was a pandemic-friendly live performance. Meaning, basically, that it was online. However, NO SLEEP FOR BOOKLYN was a haunting presence unlike any Zoom programming we’ve attended. From Thursday to Sunday, whenever we checked in at the URL, Marshall was there, steadily reading. A little creepy, a little heroic, and a healthy reminder that even though we are distanced from one another that we are all still present, and can be checked in on even if we are not live-streamed.

You can find Marshall on IG @marshallsweber and @booklynart. And if you missed the Printed Matter Virtual Art Book Fair you can still check out Booklyn’s table here.