Tabling: Stories of Arrival

As the inaugural Friends of ICA resident, 51 Personae / Kali Projects invites visitors to witness stories of books in motion. Think of a table: standing still on its own, yet when we “table,” we act. On the tabletops of the ICA’s Reading Room, we place stories of arrival—how books reach readers, and how meaning unfolds in the spaces between.

These stories come from volunteers who, over the past two to three years, have tabled for 51 Personae / Kali Projects at book fairs and zine festivals across the world, navigating local pressures and challenges. Their improvisational acts create moments of encounter, interpretation, and understanding between books and readers who might otherwise never meet.

Their evolving narratives appear as self-made zines on the tables, alongside objects and creative responses inspired by the act of tabling. The Reading Room will also feature rotating publications from 51 Personae / Kali Projects and curated independent publications from around the world.

On occasion, a member of the 51 Personae / Kali Projects community will “table” at ICA, sharing their personal stories and publications, and continuing this ongoing exchange of knowledge, care, and connection

Friends of ICA

Friends of ICA is a mutual aid residency where our friends inhabit the ICA’s Reading Room to share their knowledge and to make community through printed matter.  

Until now, our reading room has been a bit lonely.  Our modest collection of printed matter has been gathered, presented, and stored for ICA’s artistic research programs.  So, we’re inviting our friends who make books, booklets, magazines, newspapers, posters, postcards, dossiers, and other ephemera to share them with us and others.