the trees amongst the outdoor electronic library are growing into the optical wiring below ground. their roots and branches mingle with the data pipes and waves that frantically transfer information from one node to the next. very often, people get caught up in the breakneck speed of technology and lose track of what they are at the library for: the pursuit of wisdom. the trees inspire patience in learning. they embody the genius of categorical organization in a natural and technological environment. 

information is not stagnant. information is as much fluid passage as it is the hardness of data. the computer terminals seem scattered like dead leaves throughout the forest but they are quite orderly upon further observation. technology is just as wild and unpredictable as nature. by allowing for failures, the outdoor library opens itself to evolutionary development. 

there is loss. there will always be loss. fried circuits, lost clusters. the outdoor library does not revert to backups after a misstep. it moves onward, taking into consideration its experience. as people wander through its open halls, it follows their footsteps to get a better handle on the human browsing experience.

as the forest physically bonds with its technological companion, the library observes the order and chaos of nature. the loss and renewal. it is this natural element of communal memory and experience that interests the library's numerous visitors. late at night, people can be found holed up inside the trunk of a tree, casually scanning the glowing screen of a portable terminal.

The library operates on a symbolic system. Instead of forcing the user to choose from a set of static icons, the program systematically filters out a set of symbols from a database of thousands that might be suitable for describing the user's dream. These symbols can be combined and layered over one-another to create new meaning. 

Since dreams operate on an iconographic level, the interface does not pigeonhole dreams into specific categories. Each dream is linked to one or several others, taking part in a vast network of subconscious exploration. The system interprets dreams in relation to the rest of the database. As more dreams are added, the system's understanding of links and passageways between dreams expands. Rather than spitting out a mechanical translation of dreams, the system integrates audio and visual elements to express the map of links.