Essays
16 April 2026
Material before metaphor
Wool, nacre, bronze, salt. Before a work means anything, it is made of something, and the something matters.
A reading that begins with meaning tends to skip the object. But a sadu weaving is wool before it is heritage; an assemblage of mother-of-pearl is the sea's leavings before it is a statement about the sea.
The record keeps the material first. Metaphor is allowed, later, once the thing itself has been described and given its due.