In Ritual Mining, the handmade paper folios, translucent and slick, rattle with each page turn like footsteps on placid earth. As the viewer progresses through the book, the paper in each section becomes increasingly dark. Some sections are sewn shut, which is reminiscent of reaching a dead end in a winding cave. Like stalagmites and stalactites, the world in Ritual Mining grows from both the bottom and the top.  The shadowed forms of my great grandmother’s double wedding ring quilt-top are layered with textile pressure prints and silhouettes. These images cast shadows of familiar forms across the pages, while maintaining a ghost-like fog. To reveal the full image, the viewer must try to access the inside of the French fold folios, which mirror the action of opening a map and encourage the viewer to peer beyond the traditional recto and verso.   

Produced with support from The Caxton Club, Chicago.