The cycle of censorship

"This is a moveable book - to tell its story, it rotates through the middle. Push down on the outside while raising the center to operate; begin with the whiter side on the outside. The burnt paper should be facing upwards. The cycle begins with the aftermath of an act of censorship, such as the bombing of Al-Mutanabbi Street on March 5, 2007. The black represents censorship and oppression of ideas, which the censorship is attempting to control. However, ideas cannot be contained. As the book moves, gold - symbolizing ideas - begins to emerge amidst the darkness. It then radiates outward as gold lines as it spreads. Finally the ideas are accepted and adopted into the culture as shown by the gold flecks. The original ideas then breed new ideas, which in turn raise hackles and cause some to want to suppress or censor them. Thus the black begins to return until we are back to the start with an act of censorship and the cycle begins anew"--Colophon.