Interior duck

Interior duck (2021). Natural dyes on corded and twined hanji; pen and indigo dye on handmade paper and bark lace. Duck: 4 x 6.6 x 2.4”. Book: 2.5 x 1.75 x 0.25” closed, 6.25 x 3.75” open. Private collection.

When we consider the effects of wilderness and habitat loss on various species, we usually think only of the outside devastation: clear cutting and outright burning of forests, digging up the earth for what lies underneath or razing it to build endless developments for humans. But to arrive here, humans must have adapted to be capable of such violence. I think that losing touch with the wildness inside of ourselves is how we become okay with losing wild land, animals, plants, and entire ecosystems. This duck, evolved to hold a book, looks nearly sawn in half to carry a map of the interior. What are we willing to sacrifice to become whole, or stay ruptured?