Journey to the Mid-East

1996. A unique calligraphic manuscript.. No binding. Fine. Folio. (101)ff. All but the final leaf feature original calligraphic work by Ayers and nearly all bear at least one mounted photograph. A tremendous travelogue, Ayers situates her own recollections among excerpts from various other travel luminaries and their texts, including Paul Bowles, Charles M. Doughty, Hassan Al-Wazzan (Leo Africanus), Mark Twain, Edward Abbey, and Herodotus. While these earlier travelers largely maintained an air of detachment, Ayers submits to each location's familiarity. Emblematic especially are her portraits of guides and vendors and her scenes of residences. Areas represented include Cyprus, Palestine, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, and Egypt. Her calligraphy itself is part of the immersive project, and the result is a long engagement with the history of written inscriptions in the region, along with their patterns, motifs, ideograms, and visual cultures. Sheets held loose in handmade paper wrapper secured with blue taffeta. Fine.