Zin Taylor’s photo series and video work, Lichen Voices (2013) derive from the time he spent on Fogo Island doing a two-part residency with Fogo Island Arts, in 2010 and 2012. Lichen Voices presents two men throwing poses while dressed in stripe and dot pajamas, respectively. Manifestations of the artist’s ongoing work with an artistic vocabulary of stripes and dots, the two figures suggest an overlay of culture (straight lines and perfect circles; patterning and abstracted repetition) superimposed on a background of the lichen-clad rock formations so ubiquitous on Fogo Island. However, instead of dominating the landscape, Taylor sees his cultural avatars as controlled by the lichen, hence the work’s title: Lichen Voices. With these works, Taylor intuits something of the drama of life lived in a remote location like Fogo Island.
The publication features essays by Zoë Gray and Saelan Twerdy, and Zin Taylor in conversation with Patrick Staff and Robin Simpson. The book also presents the artist’s portfolio An Index Describing the Individual 19 Thoughts About Stripes and Dots Arranged on a Vitrine Made of Brass and Glass.