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Infestations Collection-Color Photographs

Infestations are a series of color photographs examining patterns of damage in books made by both insect and man. Insects eat the protein and starch components in books and their feces disfigure the pages. The irregular feeding of silverfish gradually abrades the surface of the page, removing the printed word. Man scribbles, cuts, burns and leaves traces of objects on or within books: rust from scissors, acidic stains from newspaper clippings and the wings of insects for the entomologist.

A damaged manuscript can contain more information about its history than a well preserved one.