“in the space of the illegible, a way of reading, which resists definition, is being discovered…”
Shirin Salehi (2023)
summary
This artist book is a letter across time to the Minoan “Priestess of the Winds” from the island of Crete. The worship and control of the winds was of paramount importance for the Minoans, a powerful seafaring nation known for its thalassocracy. The priestess is a spectral figure whose name “a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja” is on two clay tablets discovered during the Knossos palace excavations by Evans. The tablets are inscribed in the syllabic dialect of Linear B, dating back to 1380 BC.
I first encountered “a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja” in Eleni Ladia’s 2013 archeognnostic study “Daemonology or Discourses on Daemons.” Ten years later, the notion of a wind priestess haunting, I delved deep into Minoan life, art, religion, women’s roles, fashion and the intricacies of Linear B. Engaging with scholars, archeologists, linguists, I explored Crete’s Minoan ruins, all to trace the elusive priestess.
specifications
Concertina binding of folios unfurling to 4m. Handmade translucent Abaca for the folios, end covers and slipcase in Enduro Ice film coated with Kozo. Text from modern Greek transliterated into Linear B, screen printed with bespoke ink of Fra Angelico Lapis Lazuli, white ink, gilded in palladium pigment.
Edition Size: 16+ 2 artist proofs
#1-12 screen printed in Fra Angelico Lapis Lazuli ink; #13-14 gilded in palladium, #15-16 printed in white ink
Dimensions of book: closed 32.8 cm x 13.3, opens to 396.2 cm
Concertina binding, 6 folios, each 66 cm long
Abaca paper by Gangolf Ulbricht, Berlin, Germany
Slipcase design and binding by Lisa Van Pelt, California
Screen printing of text by Thomas Wojak, California
Sound design: Heather Perkins, Portland, Oregon
Date: early 2024
the process
Linguistic Aspects: The text, originally written in modern Greek, is transliterated into Minoan Linear B, a syllabic script, involving the conversion of words into their corresponding signs.
Printing, Binding: The frescoes of the Minoan palace of Knossos where blue is a dominant color, inspired the choice of ink for the text. Collaborating with Sinopia Pigments, I used the highest grade of Lapis Lazuli, sourced from Afghanistan and processed through the traditional Fra Angelico Method, to create a bespoke ink. This ink was used to screen print the Linear B syllabograms on delicate handmade Abaca folios, bound in a concertina style. The folios unfurl to nearly 4 meters, symbolizing the spectral figure of the wind priestess.
sound poem
The text of “a-ne-mo-i-je-re-ja” is illegible; the Linear B syllabograms are silent and inaccessible. This reflects a fundamental conceptual choice: “In the space of the illegible, a way of reading which resists definition, is being discovered, reluctant to be fully deciphered, it remains unknowable, and yet is open to exploration…” Shirin Salehi (2023).
A companion to this silent text, the poetic narrative to the Priestess of the Winds is intoned in three languages—Greek, English, and Linear B. Heather Perkins crafted a soundscape that intertwines streams of spoken words with the sounds of wind and waves, reminiscent of the Minoan port of Amnisos, to evoke an immersive and emotional experience.
