contact:
EmmaWilcox@meowmail.com
www.aferro.org |
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On
maps, towns are defined by where they end. There are small pieces
of space left blank, at the edge of town. On maps, the edge of town
vanishes and reappears. So do tracks, roads and the original names
of things. There are no indications as to actual habitation, climate,
degree of violence or calm, or even whether the area is land or water.
Yet landmarks and scenery exist. Seen from a distance, seen at dusk, much of the land disappears completely from sight. Invisible on the grid of light pollution, its history traceable in margins, the actual landmarks of the place can be located only by where they aren’t. The scale of this survey relates to forensics, in which tiny details can reconstitute a larger story, and the absence of something signifies its presence. This approach includes geological timekeeping, as well as entire human bodies. As reported in the Times, the chemical stain left by amino acids will suppress plant growth for up to two years, allowing a shadow to remain after the thing casting it is gone. The empty space on the map isn’t empty. The land is marked, heavily. |
