A Reader in Botany

Handmade paper from linen, raw abaca, and flax fibers, erasure texts, plant blossoms and seeds, found and cut line drawings.
One-of-a-kind
9 x 12 x .75 in.
2020

A Reader considers connections between textiles, paper, plants; quilting, and lace making, and concepts including nomenclature, nostalgia and memory. There is a thread that links our personal and collective memories to the present, to what is to come—the intersections between how we live in the world and how we name things in that world—spines of books and bodies and plants and poems—our desire to name things seemingly to understand them. This book is made from raw abaca and flax fibers, and family linens from my maternal ancestors. The erasure compositions were written prior to pulling the sheets, but the layout and imaging was formed during the paper making process. Composing the work as the sheets were formed is a process of surprise and unknowing—as with placing a ceramic piece in the kiln anticipating a the results, open to unexpected occurances.

Photos by Jenna Bonistalli