Deep inside the Nordmarka wilderness of Oslo stands a forest within the forest: The Future Library. The project is a public artwork that aims to collect an original work by a popular writer every year from 2014 to 2114. The works remain unread and unpublished until 2114. At the start of the project, 1,000 trees were specially planted to be used to make the paper on which the 100 manuscripts will be printed. It’s essentially the world’s most secretive library. The project was conceived by artist Katie Paterson (pictured) during the summer of 2014. The project is managed by the Future Library Trust and supported by the City of Oslo. The completed manuscripts are held in a specially designed room at the Deichman Library in Oslo. The “Silent Room” where the manuscripts are kept was built using 100 layers of undulating, carved wood from the original trees felled to make way for the new trees planted in 2014. Each layer has a glass drawer for the manuscript of the corresponding year. The identity of each contributing author is announced each autumn. Authors then submit their manuscripts to the collection in early summer the following year at a public "handover ceremony" in the forest where the trees are growing. The Future Library project has been generally met with interest and intrigue by the media, though it has attracted criticism from some for its emphasis on preventing people from reading the manuscripts until 2114.
