Puebla & Open Call Reminder

Dear Readers,
  Hope you all are enjoying these last August days. I am writing a short email to share some images from the Nombrar_ exhibition in Puebla, México and to send a reminder about submitting a word or phrase for me to encrypt for this book project.

For the book project, I have been thinking about the role of ciphers/encryption in relation to censorship (particularly with this letterpress kolam print I made for fundraising that says "from the river to the sea"). I am also inspired by the work and research of Amy Suo Wu.

I want to make a letterpress printed book about the things we can't always say directly whether it's because of surveillance, algorithmic and institutional censorship, or societal constraints. I have this open call to ask all of you to submit text for me to encrypt.

I'm hoping to work on creating a book of kolams in the Fall so if you'd like to submit a kolam for me to print please try to do so before Sep 1st.

In Puebla, I exhibited an iteration of Akin on the outside of the gallery. It was really nice to see people interact with it in a more public and casual setting. 

I also exhibited kolam.codes (for spanish click here: https://kolam.codes/es) and during the opening, drew a kolam representing Kwetlaxkowapan, the Nahautl name for Puebla using harina de amaranto (amaranth flour) instead of rice flour (turned out to be a little tricky haha!). 

I was one of many artists in the exhibition and was very honored to be a part of it.

My trip to Puebla was bittersweet because it was also the last Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network conference. I have been working at EHCN since 2022 and have really enjoyed seeing all of my colleagues in person every summer since. I hope EHCN can continue in some capacity in the future (our funding ends at the end of the year). And so on a related note, I will also be looking for new work in 2025, so please send any opportunities you hear of my way.