Copepodilia Collectanea by Gail Wight
“’Copepodilia Collectanea’ presents an imaginary menagerie of copepods – minuscule aquatic crustaceans – created using seaweed pressings. High resolution pigment prints of the pressings retain the textures and dimensionality of the original pressings." - Gail Wight
“Text by Melanie Stiassny, ichthyologist at the American Museum of Natural History, introduces the fundamentals of copepod life:Copepods are important group of aquatic crustaceans. Over thirteen thousand species have been described and at least ten thousand of these live in the oceans, where they are found in every conceivable habitat, from the surface waters to the deepest abyss."
“While reading Melanie Stiassny’s gorgeous book Opulent Oceans, I came to the chapter titled ‘ The Golden age of Copepodology’ and my mind was set ablaze. … With just a few facts in hand – they have little swimmy appendages for movement, sometimes egg sacs, and often tiny antennae – I decided to draw my own imaginary menagerie of copepods, using seaweed as my medium.” - Gail Wight
Processes, Dimensions, and Edition Information
San Francisco, California: Salt Point Press, 2022. Edition of 20.
5.5 x 7” closed, extends to 10 meter (64”); 80 pages. Accordion structure. Letterpress printed in Cochin. With illustrated paper wrapper. Archival pigment prints are on Canson Infinity Aquarelle. Letterpress pages at the beginning and end of the book are printed on Rives BFK with mulberry hinges. Housed in 8 x 8.25 x 3.25” clamshell box constructed of archival book board covered with pigment prints on Moenkopi kozo. Signed and numbered by the artist. Each box contains a unique piece of seaweed from the Pacific coastline in northern California.