The Bone Thieves

Known commonly as bubble weed or oyster thief, Colpomenia sinuosa is a curious local underwater plant that grows on small rocks and shells, sometimes lifting them off the riverbed or seafloor and transporting them to new locations. Colponemia produces oxygen during photosynthesis that becomes trapped in its membranous lobes, making it a buoyant and occasionally mobile plant. Rendered in graphite using the technique of chiaroscuro (‘light- dark’), this series of drawings speculates on a possible distant future for my bones. In this scenario, my skeletal remains become a hard substrate onto which the ‘oyster thief’ can grow and draw nourishment. ~ Erin Coates