persephone’s chamber
for my daemon & Persephone
for the flesh . plant fibers . pigments & noble metals
transmuting vision to material form
i burn livanos & saffron
in gratitude
summary
Persephone’s Chamber, together with Vertical Time and Persefoneia, complete the second segment of the trilogy. The palladium prints are on lightweight, semi-translucent Shikibu Gampi paper and explore the aftermath of Persephone’s transition to a physical and emotional in-between-space and state.
specifications
Palladium printing on Echizen Shikibu Gampi paper, palladium pigment calligraphy by Georgia Angelopoulos, letterpress printing from polymer plates, handmade papers (Abaca and Gampi), limp vellum binding by Lisa Van Pelt
Edition Size: 9 + 2 artist proofs
Number of leaves 22; 11 folios, 9 of which contain palladium prints
Custom abaca papers in three weights by Helen Hiebert
Dimensions: 27 cm x 44 cm x 1 cm
Custom Plexiglass enclosure with sandblasted exterior
Date: winter, 2017
the process
The design of Persephone’s Chamber is characterized by a close congruence among concepts, content (images and writings) and materials. Atonement, purification, and dematerialization underlie key design principles of minimalism, white space and translucency of materials. Flawless, manuscript-quality calf vellum was thinned at my request to 1/10 mm. I chose abaca paper in three different weights, and the folios were sewn in a limp vellum binding as the paper did not tolerate any kind of adhesive. Most materials were bespoke for the edition.
video
Persephone’s Chamber explores impermanence and fragility through images, letterforms and materials.
