DIG: Unearthing Dinosaurs and Family Bonds

Photographer Sarah Wilson received three black metal boxes from her grandfather, containing Kodachromes of his annual digs in West Texas and Big Bend National Park. She realized that she and her grandfather had photographed the same desert landscapes fifty years apart, igniting an adventure and long-term project. She has created conceptual self-portraits in the style of geology and anatomy charts, combining the personal and scientific, and these annual digs are a pilgrimage to an origin story that reaches beyond traceable generations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 12 January 2023
Publisher: Yoffy Press

Before he passed away, photographer Sarah Wilson received three black metal boxes from her grandfather, containing a collection of faded Kodachromes. These images showcased geological charts, rock formations, bone fragments, and skulls, as well as breathtaking landscapes from his annual digs in West Texas and Big Bend National Park. These slides were originally used as teaching materials when her grandfather was a professor of Geology and Paleontology at the University of Texas. As Sarah held the photographs up to the light, she noticed a remarkable similarity between the images she and her grandfather had captured, despite a fifty-year gap. This newfound connection sparked an exciting adventure and a long-term project, which was featured in her debut book titled DIG.

Each winter, Sarah joins paleontologists on expeditions in the Big Bend area, where she actively searches for bones and photographs the same striking desert landscapes that were captured in the vintage 35mm transparencies. However, her work extends beyond paying homage to her grandfather. She has also created conceptual self-portraits that blend the personal and scientific, drawing inspiration from geology and anatomy charts. For Sarah, these annual digs serve as a pilgrimage to an origin story that transcends the boundaries of traceable generations. Each bone collected is a testament to the slow and profound work of evolution, serving as a sobering reminder that we, as humans, occupy the very end of that timeline.

Dimension: 228 x 177 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781949608267