Destra/Sinistra
Laura Wagner
Artist's Statement - 2004

Destra/Sinistra (Right/Left), is a collection of pen-and-ink drawings of hand bones. Each page of the miniature accordion-style book contains the image of one tiny bone drawn to scale. The binding can be flipped so the book is readable forward and backward. The right-to-left reading shows bones of the right hand, and the left-to-right reading reveals bones of the left hand. In addition, the text of the left hand (or Sinistra) reading is written backwards and is the mirror image of every element of the Destra reading.

In making a miniture book, I wanted to take advantage of scale and explore the very small. The hand bone drawings take on the character of little, unidentifiable figures, their size and shape creating a rhythm as the pages are turned. If the binding is removed the accordion can be stretched to reveal all the bones of the right or left at once. Out of the context of an anatomy book, these drawings become abstract figures. Some of the bones seem to be sharing delicate secrets while others shun the group or curl up and sleep. The drawings relate to each other through their placement across the pages, and the multiple ways of reading reveal different associations every time.