Liminal Breathing

2025

Monotype and engraving on paper

Handmade ink with volcanic and atmospheric dust from Dyngjusandur and pigment on copper

Available to Buy – framed

Previously shown at: The Directors’ Cut, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair 2025

This work is part of Breathing Space, a series of conceptual, modular monotypes and drypoints on copper in which Telese uses glacier dust collected from extreme Icelandic dust storms by pioneer dust scientist Dr. Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserová from the Agricultural University of Iceland. Embedded within the works are fragments of the scientist’s own experience—stories of how the very dust she collects affects her breathing, her body and her mind. These narratives, shared with Telese during their ongoing collaboration, are made visible in the work as figures and traces emerging from the black dust-ink. Telese combines the volatile, ephemeral nature of dust with the enduring weight of traditional metal engraving, reflecting on the fragile balance between transience and permanence, and the complex relationship between humans and environmental forces.