In his poem »A Darkened Boat« Fosse describes the existential experience of being carried and protected by this boat; it is almost a religious experience, blurring the boundaries between dream and reality. Fosse contrasts opposing elements: light and dark, heaven and earth, presence and absence, all coming together in the unifying element of the boat. Like Noah’s ark, it draws everything into its protective embrace. The image of the darkened boat as a protective vessel gave me the idea of working with illustrations of head coverings. Each of the 31 drawings in this book represents a head covering worn in a religious or spiritual context; they come from various faiths around the world. Thanks to the straight-line drawings and partial rotation, the protective hats are also reminiscent of vessels, entering into a dialogue with Fosse’s »darkened boat.«

Letterpress and foil embossing on Japanese Urushikoshi paper.
Binding made from Kozo-laminated Enduro Ice paper and grooved plexiglass.
Box made from Japanese paulownia wood.
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31 + 3 pages. 26 x 26 cm
Edition: 33 copies with consecutive Arabic numerals on Urushikoshi K93
10 copies with consecutive Roman numerals on Urushikoshi K141 and
4 sample copies
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Karlsruhe und Münster, 2019