Seed Capsule 2020
This hand-made, boxed book acts as a time capsule and my family tree. The accordion stands just over 7’ tall when opened fully. In September of 2020, a storm uprooted my father’s 60 foot Tulip tree. I collected some of the leaves and blossoms from it’s branches before he cut it into firewood. A week later a letter from my brother, on his 24th birthday, arrived in the mail. It was from a school time capsule. The letter was meant for himself, written 10 years before. He expressed his want to try living a healthier lifestyle and the hopes that he had for his life; to start a family young. This collision of events is an example of the synchronicities which inspire my practice. I was urged to create a space to preserve these items.
Medium: Pigmented inkjet print on paper, tintype, dried cicada, the last leaf from my father’s fallen tulip tree, and letter from my brother (John Rizzo 1996-2018).
Papaver Somniferum 2019
I created this boxed book as an investigation into the death of my brother, John Rizzo (1996-2018). The collection of text and image in the box reveal my efforts to re-connect to my brother, understand his overdose, as well as explore ideas of the afterlife.
Medium: Letterpress print on paper, pigmented inkjet print on paper, newsprint, dried flower, and ribbon.
Opium poppy, (Papaver somniferum), flowering plant of the family Papaveraceae. Opium, morphine, codeine, and heroin are all derived from the milky latex found in its unripe seed capsule.
God Have Mercy 2020 By Rain Shanks
This hand bound poetry book by Rain Shanks features my images. Medium: Pigmented inkjet print on paper, and string.
Untitled 2020
I made this poetry book combining archival and temporary processes. The book and writing feature themes such as ghostliness, temporality, decay, preservation, memory, the familial, and ideas of ‘home’. The dyed paper will fade from light exposure over time.
Medium: Platinotype print on paper, turmeric, hand-dyed paper, , ink, charcoal, and string.