Chapter 5: River


Chapter 5 is rooted in cultural memory. The river is a force of nature, a metaphor for the progression and the dilution of memory and tradition over time. The work mimics water, with ink pigments softening, diluting, and reticulating with each interaction: the canopy of florals and lace becoming less distinct, and more ephemeral. As can happen with cultural memory, a dilution occurs, leaving a hazy, sometimes indistinct trace. In contrast to the looseness of the river and loss of cultural memory, tradition can be mimic and passed down. The pots reference Colombian forms I saw with my mother in my youth. These pots are historically made by children, and I created them with the assistance of my daughter. A lineage of creation and cultural history passed from parent to child over generations.