The DownStairs Press

Artist's Books

Juliet & Hugo

In 1989 my daughter, Juliet, moved to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to attend the university there and to study marine biology, especially her first love, dolphins.

Almost immediately, Hurricane Hugo slammed into her little island, completely flattening the university buildings and bringing her fledgling education to a surprising halt.  The story of the harrowing night she spent huddled in her apartment while the roof was torn off and blown away brought all the fatherly inclinations of ‘being there’ and ‘protecting her’ to mind.  I wanted to make a book that caught the sense of how tiny an individual being she was, how alone, how vulnerable…and I wanted to celebrate her survival.  Not only did Juliet, (and her friend and roommate, Nicki) live through the night, Juliet has remained on the island since then, making a life and her home there and maintaining a life-long friendship with the dolphins who swim into Hull Bay every now and then.

Tools: copy machine, transfer lettering, hand-make paper hinges

NFS