Publishing → Contra Naturam
Contra Naturam
2024
Contra Naturum explores the ways we mythologize creatures and humans defined as "other." By layering old etchings of sea monsters with photos of a trans loved one, the book draws parallels between the narratives that make transness "monstrous" and those used centuries ago to classify the unknown. The title, meaning "against nature," reflects this tension, questioning what society deems natural or acceptable.
Edition Size
3
Format
254mm x 180 mm x 6 mm
Materials
Risograph with Flat Gold and HD Black, French Paper text weight, Vellum, Dubletta bookcloth
Method
Drumleaf binding
All black and white photography was captured with a Pentax K1000 on Ilford Delta 400. The series, modeled by artist and performer Gillian Maurer, was taken at Praia de Adraga in Sintra, Portugal. The woodcut illustrations, printed in gold, were sourced from maps and diagrams from the 16th-19th centuries in Europe.
Tracing paper tip-ins introduce a running narrative while also obscuring parts of the body and elements of the illustrations. As these layers are peeled back, viewers are encouraged to question their associations with nature, gender, and monstrosity.