Future Tense, 2014
Multiple and reduction linoleum block prints, archival inkjet printing, letterpress, and pulp painting on handmade paper made from invasive plants, case bound. Edition of 10.
This book recounts two intersecting narratives of endangered species and endangered languages. It begins with the endangered Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa), whose migration I first explored in the book Vueles (2007). This species of bird has a remarkable migration, spanning from Tierra Del Fuego to the far reaches of Northern Canada. As of 2011, the species numbered roughly 5,000 (down from an estimate of millions), despite efforts to protect it and its habitat.
The Red Knot’s migration is symbolically bracketed by two indigenous American languages: Yaghán, in Tierra Del Fuego, and Inuktitut in Northern Canada. This book muses on the the effects of Westernization, the loss of diversity, and adaption to a rapidly changing world.
As a metaphor for colonization, the tipped-in handmade papers within this book are made from invasive plants I harvested from where I now live in California. Species harvested include: French Broom (Genista monspessulana); Andean Pampas Grass (Cortaderia jubata); Iceplant (Carpobrotus chilensis); and Artichoke Thistle (Cynara cardunculus).
Many thanks go to the Puffin Foundation, for generously providing funding for this book. A copy of this book is part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection at Columbia University, New York, NY.
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