Philopatry I

Philopatry, originally an ornithological term, refers to the site-faithful tendency of an animal to return to the area in which it was born. The rocks in this installation, each 360 to 540 million years old, were collected, then broken in fire, and repaired using Kintsugi-inspired techniques.

The mended rocks are placed in proximity to a photograph that depicts them in their home—the shingles beach where my siblings and I spent much of our childhood learning to skip rocks from our dad. The hand appears to be simultaneously picking up and putting back the repaired rocks: taking and giving, leaving and coming home.

Project Details

Sedimentary rocks, wood glue, patching compound, oil paint, archival print mounted on aluminum

Archival print 44” x 66”. Rocks variable dimensions.