Habitat

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During the summer of 2007, I spent time in Mississippi working with the Biloxi Public Library on a book and document conservation project. I had never been to the Gulf Coast before. I was shocked by how much of Biloxi had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and how little repair there had been since. The effect of this was even more powerful after I spent a few weeks working with people whose lives and homes had been completely altered by Hurricane Katrina’s destruction.

Habitat is a letterpress printed artist book about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on Biloxi. I used image and personal narrative, as well as historical and scientific facts to evoke the emotional side effects of a natural disaster. Habitat is a thirteen-fold accordion structure, made entirely of handmade paper. Experimental papermaking techniques, such as pulp painting and collage, are used to enhance the content.

Accordion, 13 folds. Letterpress printed on handmade paper with photopolymer type and image. 7″ x 10″, folded. Edition of 25. 2007.

Collected by:
Duke University, Perkins Library, Special Collections
Lafayette College, Special Collections
Mills College, Olin Library
Stanford University
Texas Tech University, Southwest Collections
University of California Santa Barbara, Davidson Library
University of California San Diego, Mandeville Collections
University of Delaware, Special Collections
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Sloane Art Library
University of Washington, Special Collections
Wesleyan University, Olin Library, Special Collections