Natia Ser

Sand and stones from Saugatuck beach, water, inkjet on water-soluble paper, inkjet on paper, inkjet on waterproof cloth paper, book board, book cloth
30 x 20 x 7.6 cm (opens to 60 x 20 x 7.6 cm) / 12 x 16 x 3 in (opens to 24 x 16 x 3 in)

In Saugatuck, contrary to my mother’s beliefs, I connected with the natural environment and found tranquillity in different bodies of water: puddles, ponds, rivers and of course, Lake Michigan. Reflecting on my peaceful experience surrounded by lakes and rivers, I shared this rejuvenating experience through Meet me at your fingertips, an interactive artist book in which viewers are invited to participate in a meditative and playful exchange with a Zen garden by raking water patterns on sand and rearranging stones with their.

The exterior of the clamshell box shows one continuous pattern, carved into the book board, that runs from the back cover through the spine to the front cover. Referencing the raking patterns in Zen gardens, it symbolizes a stream of water to suggest a continuous flow to viewers to contribute to the raking with their fingers on the inside. They can then rinse off their sandy fingers in a bowl of water, before dripping the water residues on a water-soluble image of a bubble that would eventually dissolve to reveal ripples. Their subsequent acts of destroying and revealing would thus reflect my transgression of a curious and tender exploration of the forbidden realm of water.