What's Left by Tracey Bullington

"'What’s Left' is the result of a collaboration between the artist and a group of high school students who immigrated to the United States as children. The artist interviewed each student and asked 'What is the most memorable thing you left behind when coming to the United States?'
 
“What’s Left consists of thirteen uniform woodcut prints executed in two colors. Each of these pages also locates the country and city in which the object was left behind and a brief statement from the student’s interview. The economy of text allows the viewer to develop their own entry points into the images while the specificity of location enhances the singular experience of each student and their narrated object. The book’s endsheets are also woodcut prints illustrating the classroom in which the interviews took place therefore grounding the stories shared in a physical space. For further context into the process, the book also includes brief essay giving further insight into Tracey’s teaching practice and her goal to build community and share stories in a classroom setting.
 
“Furthermore, to create a unified reading of the text and images, Tracey established a narrative arc by ordering the prints to follow a sequence of leaving their home country to arriving in the United States. For example, some of the earlier illustrations in the book allude to leaving in a rush, and not being good at goodbyes while later in the book, the images are accompanied by statements such as Starting Over, Starting New and Isn’t the same here.” - WSW, Rosie Odhiambo, January 31,2019

Rosendale, New York: Women's Studio Workshop, 2018. Edition of 50.