the periodic table after primo levi

The Primo Levi series began with a New York Review of Books article that compared the writing of Primo Levi with that of Franz Kafka, and made reference to Levi’s memoir, The Periodic Table. The form of the series evolved from my interests in the possibilities of the two-inch square, the idea of visual narrative, a curiosity about the genesis of series, and the use of text as an element integral to visual experience.

I started to read The Periodic Table like any other book but felt uncharacteristically compelled to take notes on each chapter. I found Levi’s narrative vital, accessible, and stimulating. I recorded images, phrases, words, dates, and certain actions. As I read and wrote, the idea of a series of narrative works on paper coalesced.

My approach to the series was systematic and sequential. I worked on each piece until it was completed and did not read ahead in my notes. I tried to work with each chapter’s unique content and images. I did not consider whether adjacent pieces would work together visually or whether the group of twenty-one pieces would hold together as a series. The only unifying elements that I designed for the series were the use of three two-inch squares, the sponge stamp holding each element’s letter designation, and the inclusion of some directly-quoted phrase or sentence from Levi’s text in each piece.

I believe that the periodic table after primo levi is essentially about how we see and comprehend the world around us – what we select from the myriad possible things to observe and absorb, and what we do with that vision and understanding.

I think that there is nothing absolute about our earth-based life experience: that truth – though not certain facts – fluctuates according to our varied personal vantage points, that we select from unlimited potential ways of being, and that we can change ourselves and the world through altering our interpretations. This means that, as in The Periodic Table, music can be the work of termites and air-raid sirens; rivers can be snakes coiling from quarter moons; and, fish can forever be best served with wine made from red grapes.

Beautiful images that feature droll juxtapositions and challenge fixed points of view help me hold myself lightly, and prevent me from making myself the center of the universe. I experience the pieces I create as focal points, offerings resonant with papyrus scrolls and Tibetan prayer flags.