as the conundrums mount, clues are revealed
the elixir required propagating a plant so itty, so bitty, so utterly miniature, it had never been seen
the map depicted features of an island so remote, it would never be discovered
the critters had so many different appellations, no two people ever refered to them by the same name
On the first spread of this journal-sized artist’s book, a Seeker descends from a mountain-top visit with a Sage, who advises her to “delve deeper.” The rest of the wise man’s advice begs more questions than it answers, but it also contains hints letting the reader know where to look for answers. From there, the experimental narrative meanders on through a series of nineteen additional vignettes.
Though they share a theme and an overall sensibility, each tale is confined to a single spread and is only loosely connected to the others, as a peripheral object or character from one story will go on to become the protagonist of the next.
As the conundrums mount, clues are revealed. At last the final tale is told: We meet the frustrated Writer whose life is dedicated to his forthcoming masterpiece—a story that begins with a Seeker descending from a mountaintop. Alas, the Writer rewrites his story so much that it never reaches a conclusion, and will never be finished.
The astute reader, however, will have noticed that each tale begins with a prominent drop cap, and these, when strung together, reveal the very message that both satisfies the original Seeker’s quest, and finishes the Writer’s unfinished story.
Elusive Twenty Tales. One Enigma.
Medium: Digital print, saddle-stiched, hand sewn
Pages: 44 + Cover
Size: 5″ x 8″
Edition: 3
