THE ANCESTORS contents
THE ANCESTORS contents
AUSTIN CLARK, OREGON STATE PENITENTIARY
Once Learned Forever Hold Enduring is The Knowledge of Old | AC
The graphite cover illustration created by Austin Clark, a southern Oregon native brings to mind the desire to physically hold the shadow of the past. Patterns of mist or smoke surround a handprint left on a flat plane. An ancient cave artist, perhaps? A hand, intensely veined with a tiny scar on the finger reaches forward, its shadow crawls toward the print. Like the realities of prison life, the connection is not fully realized. The handprint calls to mind the ceremony of prison entry — all people (volunteers, staff, and prisoners alike) have a full set of their fingerprints officially recorded and stored in order to process their ID badges. The handprint is contained in a circle that holds back the misty smoke, perhaps the boundary allows the knowledge contained in the print to endure. | TDS
ORIGINALLY FROM SOUTHERN OREGON, AUSTIN CLARK IS A MUSICIAN AND VISUAL ARTIST.
