A researcher’s room in miniature
Around the start of the pandemic the Tasmanian Guild of Miniature Artisans were commissioned to make a miniature scene to sit within the shelves of the bookcases at the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts.
The Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts houses all sorts of maps, charts, paintings and other illustrations, books and documents relating to the early history of Tasmania. The Allport is also frequently used for research, and so an appropriate Book Nook had to be designed. The room design chosen for the Book Nook was based on a researcher’s room.
What is a Book Nook?
A Book Nook is a tiny little room that you position between your books to give the illusion that there is another world hidden behind your shelves!
Where did the Book Nook craze start?
Most people trace it back to a Japanese model maker called Monde who posted his bookshelf insert of an old-style Japanese alleyway on Twitter in 2018 after people praised his exhibits at Design Festa, an international art event in Tokyo.
There is also a Reddit subgroup dedicated to book nooks. This now has 53,600 members who post images of their own bookshelf dioramas and share inspiration for new designs.
(Source: thebookfamilyrogerson.com/2020/10/16/book-nook/)
Hidden details of the Researcher’s Book Nook
The more you look, the more you see!
Each detail of the Book Nook is in 1/12th scale and is designed to fit in the Allport bookshelves.
The painting on the wall was the work of Bev Langford, originally done as a delegate gift for the first Tasmanian Australian Miniature Enthusiasts Association convention. The other paintings on the wall were cut from a folder promoting the Allport.
All the maps and charts above the desk were found online and resized before being printed. They are all connected to early exploration of the southern lands.
Where can I see the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts Book Nook?
The Book Nook is currently at Huonville Library. On Friday 10 November it will move to Kingston Library, before heading to Rosny Library on Friday 1 December. Keep an eye on Libraries Tasmania’s Facebook page to find out where it will travel next!
