Second Skin aims to extend the reach of the Biblioteca de Belém into an adjacent public park by focusing on the many manifestations of the tree --a living organism, a shady place, a material used for construction, and one used to print some of the most profound literature of our civilization.
The installation explores the natural and sustainable potential of cork in an urban context. Cork is used to fashion “tree corsets” that sheathe trees in a second, more tactile skin. These sheathes incorporate bookshelves with curated sets of books targeting the mission of the Biblioteca de Belém to serve a diverse local community. From a distance, the cork tree corsets allude to the visual transformation of cork-oak forests after their bark is harvested every 9 years. Cork is also wrapped around log benches and contoured into comfortable places to sit and read a book under the shade of these trees.
