OAK GALLS:
Oak galls are large round galls found on oak trees. They are formed when gall wasp larva (from eggs laid in leaf buds) inject chemicals into the tree. Oak galls have been used to make iron gall ink for millennia. It is one of the ingredients in the ink used for traditional Torah writing, safrut.
About this project:
My work on this page is from the collaborative project L/inked shown at MAPSpace in Port Chester, NY. I explored the materiality of the ink as well as the physicality of texts. I practiced with the traditional inks and quills of Torah writing, and made micrographic images of Hebrew texts—mainly Song of Songs and Lamentations. I also made scanned photograms of various oak galls and leaves.
I worked on this project as part of a community of artists where we shared ideas, techniques, discoveries, stories. Of ourselves, the wasps, the ink, the places the galls came from. It enriches my work as I continue with this project on my own.
For more on the collaboration: http://mirandaartsprojectspace.com/collaborations/l-inked-a-collaboration-between-artists-insects-and-oak-trees
My work on this page is from the collaborative project L/inked shown at MAPSpace in Port Chester, NY. I explored the materiality of the ink as well as the physicality of texts. I practiced with the traditional inks and quills of Torah writing, and made micrographic images of Hebrew texts—mainly Song of Songs and Lamentations. I also made scanned photograms of various oak galls and leaves.
I worked on this project as part of a community of artists where we shared ideas, techniques, discoveries, stories. Of ourselves, the wasps, the ink, the places the galls came from. It enriches my work as I continue with this project on my own.
For more on the collaboration: http://mirandaartsprojectspace.com/collaborations/l-inked-a-collaboration-between-artists-insects-and-oak-trees