Decommissioning

Decommissioning is a book about Governor’s Island, a tiny island park that sits just off of the tip of lower Manhattan.  It is based on photos I took as an artist in residence at LMCC’s Arts Center on Governor’s Island in the fall of 2022, as well as my experiences as an artist in residence through the artist collective Works on Water in 2019 and again at LMCC in 2013, and as a member of the public visiting the island many times over the past fifteen years. It is a book about history and memory, and how both layer underneath our experiences of a place. It is also a book about the changes that come to the places we love, and how to cope with them.

The first round of printing happened at Kara Lack’s Tor View Press upstate; thanks to Kara and Konrad for their hospitality and friendship. The rest of the printing happened at the Center for Book Arts. Some of the images are riso, but most are letterpress from polymer plates. I learned how to make four color riso prints for this book with the wonderful Eva Parra and Oswaldo Garcia at the Center for Book Arts. The text is set in Century Expanded, cast by Ed Rayher at Swamp Press. The foil stamping happened at Small Editions in Brooklyn. The map images in the enclosure and cover are sourced from the National Archives. 

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who went for a walk with me on Governor’s Island, and to you for reading. 

Printed in an edition of 35 and housed in a folding paper case enclosure, it comes with a map of the past and future of the island. Copies are available now for $300; contact me directly for more information.