The Animal is in the World Like Water in Water

The Animal is in the World Like Water in Water is a collaboration between Kiki Smith and American poet and author Leslie Scalapino. Smith executed a series of 43 pen and ink drawings for the project, which were reproduced and published as digital prints, each individually hand-colored by the artist. All of the drawings depict scenes of a woman/girl being attacked by a wild animal. Yet, the attack is emotionless, without fear or horror. Responding to Smith's illustrations, Scalapino composed a sequence of poems, each corresponding to a particular image. Scalapino intended that the two realities of illustrations and text be experienced simultaneously; yet maintain their separate identity. The dreamlike symbolism of Smith's illustrations, coupled with Scalapino's metaphorical use of language and unconventional spatial layout, may evoke in the reader a deeply moving, almost spiritual response.