Hambone's Lament

Hambone's Lament is an installation and an open editioned artists' book. I wrote the original text in 1991 during the first Gulf War. Using the traditional African-American lyrics of Hambone Hambone as a starting point, the text expresses the anguish of a mother raising children in a culture that fetishes pregnancy and childhood and is willing to send its young into the horror of war. The wall portion of the installation is made of ink over graphite on (black and white) gessoed paper. Both ends of the arch have clusters of three dimensional shapes made from ink jet printed cotton that is cut out, shaped with sewn darts and sewn around floral wire stems. Some of the leaf shapes are imaginary, some refer to actual foliage. All reflect symbolic mourning and grief passed down from the Victorian's floral language. Viewers are encouraged to open the book on the stand and read the text while standing under this archway of sorrow. Here is an excerpt of the text:

My round and sturdy children follow me in a tight pack. They react to new sounds, smells and sights with high pitched squealing as they crowd into the space between my legs for safety.

I nudge them gently; the stiff hair behind their ears tickles my snout. Soon food will come and it will be time to sleep.

Nobody brings me a list now, telling me how to prepare for the day when the ground will be red with the blood of my children.

Photo credits: Installation shown here at Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH, April 2007. Images 1-3 by Ken Pinkham, Springfield Museum of Art; image 4 by Debbie Brod; image 5 by Kate Kern.

 



 

The Installation

Full view of Hambone's Lament installationClose-up detail of Hambone's LamentDetail of Hambone's Lament Hambone's Lament book being read by a visitor

The Book

Hambone's Lament Ink-jet printed pages in wire coil
binding with white foil stamped title on cover.
6.5 x 14” ©2007


Hambone's Lament

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