Image descriptions for Catgut Stitches My Fissures
(1) Landscape Photo
Window with large broken hole in center, long cracks and brown water marks extending from this hole. Behind are bright green and yellow trees with heavy shadows, bright blue sky peeking in between leaves. On top window hole, however, are random pieces of window material and speaks of dust, revealing this hole has actually been sealed by another layer right beneath it.
(2) Photo Diptych
Left (L): Mig and Wei rest by each other, their faces close. Wei rests with eyes closed, their facial features soft and relaxed. They wear cheongsam with gold and pink patterns. Mig rests with their chin on Wei’s shoulder, their expression hidden from us. They wear red and black floral, one tiny purple earring dangling from their ear.
Right (R): Field of tall grass and flowers, foregrounded grass flattened or chaotic, as if someone had been there and sat amidst them, packing earth down to form some sort of bed. Grass is of muted pinks, mint and electric greens. One tiny flower sits amidst bent grass.
(3) Photo Diptych
L: Pair of wet, aged hands hold knife and slice at cut fish head on red cutting board, fish eyes looking away from us. One hand has two rings on wedding finger. Part of this person’s top is shown, cream shirt with multicolored floral patterns on it.
R: Pair of legs move across rocks above rushing water of river, water and rocks of aqua and olive greens. One leg stands tensed on mossy rock with water rushing above foot, still and in focus, while other leg rushes to join it, blurred mid-leap.
(4) Landscape Photo
Ame emerges from large bush of wind-swept leaves and branches, of mild yellow-greens and browns. Their head is cropped, so we cannot see their face, nor most of their body. They wear brown shirt and dark blue trousers, their hands gently moving against rushing plants against them as they move forward.
(5) Photo Diptych
L: Shawn’s hands rest on top of their knee. They are wearing blue pants and no socks. Their shadow is parallel to them, creating two forms that mimic each other, two triangular shapes like folds of a fan. They sit against smooth, beige tiles.
R: T. and M. sit beside each other with arms entangled, their faces buried in each other’s shoulders. M. sits with back to us, T. with face forward. Behind them is delicately marbled beige wallpaper. M. has flowers tattooed on their arm. T., with face illuminated, looks in an indeterminable location, their gaze heavy and unreadable.
(6) Photo Diptych
L: Umma wears cotton, printed grey sweater and sits with face obscured by shadow against delicate tan and gold floral wallpaper. Her hair is cropped short, her ear glowing orange in lamplight. Though we cannot see her face, her outline shows that her cheek is clenched.
R: Ame wearing stripped cream collar shirt stirs something with spoon in silver pot over kitchen sink. It is sunset — soft orange-green light from window touches their shirt and hands, their index finger aglow, their forearm wrinkled and tense. Gogo’s bent arm cut off their face and obscure their eyes from our view. Their arm forms parallel lines with cabinets and counters, forming rectangles and geometric shapes. Also in kitchen: shiny countertops; peeled garlic skin; green dish soap; other knives; coffee machine; fruit peeler; toaster.
(7) Landscape Photo
Weathered white-blue rock rests like a body in still water, its edges receding into water reflection. White specks of dust and other small matter float on this water’s surface, water reflecting greenery above it: lush leaves and dark shadows.
(8) Photo Dipytch
L: Thin, delicate folds of veil fall gently onto each other like tissue, overlaying each other to create different densities of color, of material. Across it, gently hazy oranges and creams, its shadows a deep, mercury blue.
R: Pink hand with purple nails — as if pink from cold — lays with bent fingers pointing upwards against soft feather-like plants. These plants blow with wind, yet their hand seems to fall upward, relaxed and still.
(9) Photo Diptych
L: E., wearing blue long sleeve shirt, is concealed by smooth wall. Only their shoulder and bent arm are revealed. Behind them, a blue, silver, and oxidized-black gradient.
R: Bright open doorway (full of diagonal, lightly tinted windows behind it) sits inside turbulent skies full of grey clouds. Beneath this doorway streams blue light in trapezoid shape, giving sky this room-like quality.
(10) Landscape Photo
Two bright trees lay collapsed and uprooted against field of wind-blown grass and flowers, their branches outstretched and submerged in grass as if swirling within moving water. Grass (as well as hills beyond these trees) of purple-ish blues and aqua greens. Light is dim, diffused.
(11) Text
What do I care
that the stream is trampled
the sand on the steam-bank
still holds the print of your foot:
the heel is cut deep.
I see another mark
on the grass ridge of the bank —
it points toward the wood-path.
I have lost the third
in the packed earth.
(12) Photo Diptych
L: Inside window reflection overlaid with scenery outside to create smooth, clean image of geometric shapes, columns, windows. One layer made of diagonal stairwell and tall, bright windows. Other layer, outside, of grey and cream building, grey walking path, trim green lawn. Their vertical lines match up to create flat architecture.
R: Shattered glass window, each glass shard very small and in sharp focus. Behind this window are dim blue skies; bright, white clouds; shadowed tree form and grass.
(13) Photo Diptych
L: Ndidi wearing backwards forest green cap, glasses, disposable mask, and muted brown and green clothes leans their body and stretches into column of light. They rest across concrete, their legs and sandals covered in dappled shadows. They look up at and are absorbed by something we don’t see, their gaze thoughtful, quiet.
R: Hazy light forms diagonal streaks like left image’s column of light, illuminating one part of delicate pink and green foliage amidst shadowy woods. Between tall trees in background, small spots of blue sky.
(14) Landscape Photo
Small eye of cyclone forms in turbulent, foaming river waters against mossy rocks. Rushing water of various aqua greens, its texture like that of landscape paintings, blurred into dream.