On Tending To

2017, Digitally Printed, Perfect Bound Book

Second Edition Printing of 39

On Tending To is an archive of a sculpture.

The sculpture, Tending To, built of three pinewood tiers and ninety-six vessels, was inspired by my grandmother’s death in October 2016 at ninety-six years old. The last time we were together, I watched her tend to a flowering plant with bent, wrinkled fingers and a deep care. While she was dying, she was keeping something else alive. This image remained with me, causing me to think about the act of tending and the range of what it can mean to different people at different points in our lives.

What follows is a photographic archive of the ninety-six vessels and a collection of interviews on the act of tending. Each vessel is cast with a material called alginate, mixed with dye and water, then dried and sanded by hand. Thirty-eight are filled with copper leaf, interpreting the copper properties of communication, healing and intuition. The text that accompanies is a collection of questions that I sent to friends and family.  Each received twelve questions and were asked to respond to any or all of them. The compilation of varied, similar and sometimes contradictory answers follow each question.

The three chapters of this book represent the three tiers of the sculpture. The number of pieces on each tier represent the age of the maternal lineage at the time of my grandmother’s death—the overall piece becoming an altar, honoring the women who came before me.

First edition, printing of 39
Printed on: Mohawk 100# cover and 80# text
Typeface: Atlas Grotesk by Commercial Type
Printed in: New York City
Works © 2017: Stephanie Land
Book design: Antoine Mauron
Intro and end page photo credit: Andrew Cashin
Vessel photographer: Stephanie Land

Stephanie Land was a participant in Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Process Space program from May to October 2017. On Tending To and Tending To were developed as part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Process Space program and photographed at LMCC’s Studios in the Arts Center on Governor’s Island. 

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council empowers artists by providing them with networks, resources, and support, to create vibrant, sustainable communities in Lower Manhattan and beyond. LMCC.Net