THE END OF THE WASP SEASON

The title of this work is taken from the title of the book THE END OF THE WASP SEASON which has been altered into the form of a wasp nest.  Nine small whirlwind bound books are nestled into the brood cells, tucked away like larvae.  Within the brood cells images of wasps have been rubber stamped in social groupings, but their numbers decrease leaving very few wasps in the cells at the end of the book.  The nine miniature books address the issue of pesticide use.  The first page of each small book incites an immediate visceral response to a wasp encounter.  The second page contains text that considers prenatal exposure to a common household pesticide synergist, piperonyl butoxide, with words or phrases such as neurotoxicity and delayed detoxification to describe its harmful effects on neurodevelopment as discussed in studies published in the Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics and Environmental Health Perspectives.  The third pages of each small book contain a detail from ultrasound images of my own pregnancies.  Some of  the images are clearly that of a developing fetus while others appear to bear an unusual resemblance to larvae. The harmful effects here would not be visible, nor would the heartbreak that is soon to follow.
​
Altered book, shrink film, inkjet printed vellum, whirlwind binding.  Edition of 3.  2015