The Otolith Group Library, Ibraaz London

Conceived as a spatial essay, the Library is a room that simultaneously archives and performs. Developed in close collaboration with The Otolith Group, its design is a direct reflection of their research-based practice and their long-standing interest in speculative histories, archival methodologies, and spatial memory.

For over two decades, The Otolith Group has gathered the intellectual materials that fuel their art-making—books, journals, records, films, maps, and catalogues—charting Pan-African and Pan-Asian horizons. These collections form the core of the Library, where reading groups, screenings, and listening sessions become vital points of gathering and convening.

Here, researchers, activists, and artists gather to develop new strategies for confronting our environmental and social crises. This "A Flock of Keen-Eyed and Far Seeing Magpies " acts as a transmission point, broadcasting alternative frequencies of knowledge, resistance, and possibility into the present moment.

The conceptual development of the space was a deeply collaborative effort between Diogo Passarinho Studio and RAR.STUDIO. From its early framing to its material articulation, the two studios worked side-by-side to align architectural thought with artistic context.

Diogo Passarinho Studio brought a deep, existing dialogue to the project, having previously designed several of The Otolith Group's key exhibitions. References from these past collaborations were revisited and reimagined, rooting the library firmly within the group’s evolving body of work.

This project is particularly meaningful as the library is designed to endure beyond the opening exhibition, with the potential to become a permanent space within Ibraaz, serving as a living archive and research room for future audiences.

2025, Ibraaz, London
Artists: The Otolith Group
Design: Diogo Passarinho Studio + RAR.STUDIO
Fabrication: Emma Leslie Studio, Emma Leslie and Danielle Barco
Dates: 15 October 2025 – 6 September 2026
Photography: Ollie Hammick
Location: Ibraaz, 93 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7SS 
courtesy of Ibraaz and The Otolith Group