Drifting
When the body is suspended in water, it is perhaps one of the most relaxing experiences. I love to float in the tub, the pool, the ocean. it feels therapeutic to see feel the body succumb to the rhythms of the water. At the same time, the loss of control requires trust. And so it is equally terrifying.
Today was the first time in months I’ve been down to the river shore. The air moves differently into the lungs: deeper, colder, wetter. Bird chatter mixed with pitter patter of waves are frequently interrupted by the horn of a passing train like the one I used to take to the city on my daily commute to work. Being by the river feels like a time out. and out of time.
From this project, I am beginning to consider what happens to a single piece of Kozo paper made from mulberry fibers: pressed into perfect sheets, then formed into another shape, unformed, transformed, and reformed. How many lifecycles will one sheet of paper have before it disintegrates?
Below are before and after this cycle. Since I use existing sizing to reform the object, the fibers are starting to loosen, and I inadvertently created a few skin tears. The river did not discolor the paper, but sedimentary rock-sand did get caught up in the fibers, and are now part of the work.
