ΨΑΠΦΟΙ [SAPPHO]
fragment #38
ὄπταις ἂμμε you burn me
summary
ΨΑΠΦΟΙ [SAPPHO] is an artist book that conceptualizes the poetry of Sappho in a visual form, by “interpreting” the remaining 192 fragments of her oeuvre using abstract, minimalistic marks. The language of abstract marks captures the structure and preserves the flow of each fragment; it is a language that documents the presence or haunting absence of individual letters or words, a language that yields a unique visual representation for each fragment.
In a variable edition of three formats, white ink and a vintage ruling pen are used for mark-making on a barely-there Usujo Gampi. Numbers and sequencing of fragments follow the 1971 classical edition by Voigt, Eva-Maria, and the 2003 translation by Ann Carson, If not Winter: Fragments of Sappho.
specifications
Hand drawn abstract marks on Gampi paper using a ruling pen and white ink. Loose folios within chemises of handmade Abaca, Japanese style book enclosures with Indo Islamic indigo and Gampi papers.
Deluxe Edition Size: 3
192 fragments, 99 folios in 9 chemises + colophon
Standard Edition (Sappho I) Size: 5 + 1 artist proof
12 fragments, 6 folios in 1 chemise + colophon
Folios: 13.3 cm x 40.64 cm, handmade Usujo Gampi 8 g/m
Chemises: Abaca paper by Gangolf Ulbricht, Berlin, Germany
Japanese style book enclosure, Lisa Van Pelt, California
Screen printing of text by Thomas Wojak, California
Date: spring, 2022
summary
In the third format of the variable edition (Sappho II) white ink and a vintage ruling pen are used for mark-making on larger sheets of Sekishu Torinoko Gampi paper, folded in eight segments, like a map. Each of the three Sekishu Torinoko Gampi folios included in the book enclosure, has eight of Sappho’s fragments. A total of 24 fragments was selected for their intriguing visual presence. Numbers follow the 1971 classical edition by Voigt, Eva-Maria, and the 2003 translation by Ann Carson, If not Winter: Fragments of Sappho.
specifications
Hand drawn abstract marks on Gampi paper using a ruling pen and white ink. Loose, folded folios within a chemise of handmade Abaca, Japanese style book enclosures with Gampi papers.
Standard edition (Sappho II: ) Size: 5 + 1 artist proof
3 folios with 8 fragments each + 1 folio with colophon
Folios unfolded: 37 cm x 53 cm
Folios folded : 13.5 cm x 18.5 cm
Chemise, Abaca paper by Helen Hiebert
Japanese style book enclosure, Lisa Van Pelt, California
Screen printing of text by Thomas Wojak, California
the process
The essence of Sappho’s book is “translating” her words using a visual language of abstract marks. Identifying the correct instrument for drawing the abstract marks, required extensive research and experimentation. I finally settled on a beautiful 1950’s Keuffel & Esser ruling pen and a watercolor-based, white ink. I was very fortunate to acquire the last 100 sheets of the exquisite Usujo Gampi. At 8 g/m it is light like dragonfly wings, an extinct treasure as the mill no longer produces the handmade version of this beautiful paper. Marking the length of individual words of Sappho’s fragments, observing the structure, the flow, and empty spaces, is a slow meditative process. The simple and direct contact with the materials, is something I had yearned for a long time, as previous processes (e.g., platinum printing) required many intermediate steps, tools and technologies before the outcome was visible.
