Humanitas Daluang

Work in display case: “Humanitas daluang”

Year of completion: 2020

Dimensions: 70 x 140 cm

Technique: documentary photography, daluang paper, presented in a display case

Documentary photographs alongside a sample of rare daluang paper invite contemplation on reading as a cultural phenomenon. The weathered book cover speaks of a thirst for discovery, while light spills from the open book. The captivating Arabic manuscript remains a mystery, yet the text resonates as beautiful calligraphy. The open page, presumably from the 19th century, shows signs of wear along the edges, with mulberry fibers stubbornly protruding, yet the ink retains its shades. The sandy-colored coarse-grained daluang paper structure is robust. How would one write on it?

The photos were taken by the author in Indonesia on the island of Java, in the West Java province, in April 2019, as well as the handcrafted daluang paper located in the display case. The work “Humanitas daluang” belongs to the series “Valued and Abandoned Books V. Paper” and has been exhibited at the Kondas Center in the 2021 exhibition “Valued and Abandoned Books IV. Reading.”

Paper for photos: Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308; 100% cotton, acid- and lignin-free, pH-buffered archival paper. Photos and daluang paper are mounted on black aluminum composite with a back frame; the black wooden display case has a distance strip, width 32mm, height 50mm; anti-reflective and UV-filtered museum glass.