catie hannigan

 Bright Knots of Apparitions

Bright Knots of Apparitions, 2022

paper, cotton rope, vinyl thread, embossed ink, basalt rock

As a child, my father hid dollar bills under beach stones in mid-coast Maine where I was raised — assuming beaches magically produced dollar bills created a bright knot of joy sorely lacking from a dysfunctional home. Once my father passed away, I inherited his winter gloves, from which I stenciled the hand shaped pages of the book. The text is original writing inspired by the daily meditations of the Adult Children of Alcoholics fellowship — which always begin with “On this day”

The book can be suspended against the wall, from the ceiling, or arranged in organic shapes on a flat surface. Readers will discover new text hidden beneath each palm.

Bright Knots of Apparitions borrows its title from the poem “Of nearness to her sundered Things—” by Emily Dickinson, a poem which speaks of grief, memory, and childhood.