The Assembly

The Assembly explores the charged aura of the public arena in our time of surveillance, while hinting at the vibrancy that persists in secret places, hidden thoughts and unseen acts. The dark intaglio printed pages of this accordion book read as a haunting scene of a school assembly devoid of people. Turning the pages, the viewer engages in a hunt for the action, but it seems to always be just out of view. Then, from backstage, a fantastical broom sweeps joyously through multiple page spreads, flitting up debris, and offering a source for a visual motif recurring throughout the book. The scale of the broom and its gestural composition let the reader lay claim to the agency of irreverent play in the dark behind the stage. The final page shows the windows with curtains, assuring the reader that no one saw as they let themself be swept away. 

The Assembly is an 11” x 14” accordion bound book, with a clamshell box. The book’s covers and box have decorative foil stamping. The pages of the book are all printed from copper etchings made at Art Print Residence in Arenys de Munt, Spain and then printed in my studio in Maine.