I Stayed but my Dream Will Go
2020
“I know I stayed
But my dream will go
Carried by the wind, by the clouds, by the wings.”
This excerpt, translated from the original Portuguese, is from Song of the Island Boys by the Cape Verdean poet Aguinaldo Fonseca (1922-2014) and it’s the inspiration behind this handmade book. Two thirds of the Cape Verdean population live outside the archipelago and this poem is about those who remain. Song of the Island Boys expresses the longing and dreams of departure of the Cape Verdeans who stayed. The book ‘I Know I Stayed but my Dream Will Go’ is dedicated to the many residents of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde who invited me into their homes and who graciously agreed to be photographed.
Published as a handmade edition of 18 copies only, book is printed on rough cotton/paper mix paper that are either a warm grey or a warm sand beige, inspired by the breeze block buildings all over the island of Santiago and by the sandy earth near the capital Praia.
| ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ |
|---|
› Review by Robin Titchener
I’m running out of superlatives for Alison’s beautiful handmade books. Her most recent title gathers images and portraits taken of the people of Santiago, the largest island Cape Verde archipelago.
As with all of her work, a personal warmth and nostalgia imbues these photographs, drawing out and ensuring a rare connection and empathy with all subjects, human or otherwise. Featuring both printed pages and tipped In images, once again one gets the impression that one is handling something very special.
“Photos printed on a 120 gram slightly rough cotton/paper mix paper. The pages are either a warm grey or a warm sand beige, inspired by the breeze block buildings all over the island of Santiago and by the sandy earth near the capital Praia.”
These are the kind of books that in a few years’ time, people will say “I saw it when it came out, and wish I’d bought it when I could have afforded it”.
I would encourage any interested parties to acquire a copy whilst they are still available. Once again the boundaries between book and art object dissolve and bleed into one another.
| ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ |
|---|