‘Sometimes my baby’s head smells of old libraries
Lignin. Weighted paper, ink, dry glue.’
the wings of a moth without the moth-bit in between (2023) documents artist Kate Sweeney’s search for traces of the adoptive mother’s body in the WANE Library. Kate Sweeney’s new writing combines lyrical memoir and citations from artists and authors in the library, alongside transcripts of conversations to share a queer experience of parenthood.
the wings of a moth without the moth-bit in between is a multi-faceted exploration of the function of and conditions for the collective acts of borrowing and lending. In drawing parallels between building and maintaining a queer family and a library makes a valuable and unique contribution to contemporary discourse surrounding artist’s practices in archive and library-based contexts.
This is Kate Sweeney’s first publication and was commissioned in 2022 through the WANE Library’s first Writing Commission, funded by Arts Council England.
Preview below.
Publication details:
Title: the wings of a moth without the moth-bit in between
Author: Kate Sweeney
Published by Threed (2023)
Produced by The Women Artists of the North East Library
Printed by Foundation Press
A4 riso-printed artist book
Softcover, pp34
Edition of 150
To purchase a copy
the wings of a moth without the moth-bit in between is stocked at NewBridge Books, Newcastle, Good Press, Glasgow, and Tenderbooks, London.
It can be purchased online for £10 (inclusing post and packaging) via PayPal using the link below.
