Je Suis Belle I
Je Suis Belle is a nonlinear narrative composed of 108 fragments,
developing its subject in a series of overlapping poetic landscapes.
The world of the text centers around the lives of two 12 year old girls,
their friendships and families, and the threats they encounter, both
overt and covert.
Most of the passages are the voice of the adult Sammy, looking
back at her 12 year old self, engaging the presence of memory.
Other voices move in and out of the text, arriving and dissolving.
The passages are in presented in an order, but the text is meant
to be read in bits and pieces, in various orders, providing
glimpses that accumulate over time.
developing its subject in a series of overlapping poetic landscapes.
The world of the text centers around the lives of two 12 year old girls,
their friendships and families, and the threats they encounter, both
overt and covert.
Most of the passages are the voice of the adult Sammy, looking
back at her 12 year old self, engaging the presence of memory.
Other voices move in and out of the text, arriving and dissolving.
The passages are in presented in an order, but the text is meant
to be read in bits and pieces, in various orders, providing
glimpses that accumulate over time.
Notes on Je Suis Bell I:
The title Je Suis Belle is taken from a Rodin sculpture by the
same name, a piece that Rodin originally entitled “The Rape” and
years later renamed “I Am Beautiful.”
Rodin took the title from a poem by Baudelaire, and he inscribed
a passage from the poem on the base of the sculpture. In the
poem, the voice of beauty declares itself, with its violence and
collisions that have the potential to open our hearts.
Rodin’s sculpture combined two figures from his Gates of Hell:
“falling man” and “crouching woman,” and so shows the artist’s
repeated transformation of life’s hells. The sculpture was also
shown as “The Cat” and as “Carnal Love.”
The inscription from Baudelaire reads: “I am beauitful, oh mortals,
like a marble dream, And my breast upon which each sacrifices
himself in turn, Was made to inspire poets with a love As eternal
and silent as matter.”
The title Je Suis Belle is taken from a Rodin sculpture by the
same name, a piece that Rodin originally entitled “The Rape” and
years later renamed “I Am Beautiful.”
Rodin took the title from a poem by Baudelaire, and he inscribed
a passage from the poem on the base of the sculpture. In the
poem, the voice of beauty declares itself, with its violence and
collisions that have the potential to open our hearts.
Rodin’s sculpture combined two figures from his Gates of Hell:
“falling man” and “crouching woman,” and so shows the artist’s
repeated transformation of life’s hells. The sculpture was also
shown as “The Cat” and as “Carnal Love.”
The inscription from Baudelaire reads: “I am beauitful, oh mortals,
like a marble dream, And my breast upon which each sacrifices
himself in turn, Was made to inspire poets with a love As eternal
and silent as matter.”
Production Notes on Je Suis Belle I:
The paper, 95% gampi and 5% abaca, was made by the author with
instruction from Gretchen Schermerhorn at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring,
Maryland. The text was printed
digitally with the assistance of Franc Rosario, also at Pyramid
Atlantic. Margot Neuhaus consulted on the display.
The book in its large format is one of a kind.
The paper, 95% gampi and 5% abaca, was made by the author with
instruction from Gretchen Schermerhorn at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring,
Maryland. The text was printed
digitally with the assistance of Franc Rosario, also at Pyramid
Atlantic. Margot Neuhaus consulted on the display.
The book in its large format is one of a kind.