The Onion

“UNFURLING LIKE LEAVES OF A GOOD BOOK

ASTRINGENT AND CUTTING

WITH AN ENDING OF SAVORY OR SWEET”

Handmade paper, rubber based ink, thread, twine (2022)

In fifth grade I did a science project testing the efficacy of natural food dyes on fabrics and discovered kale and beets create lovely shades of green and pink.  Since the beginning of the semester I hoped to use beet juice either as a paper dye or ink.  Along that same vein I thought it would be fun to make a beet out of beets.  For the final project I had initially wanted to make a 3D book-like red onion dyed using beets.  Each page would reveal a new layer and that was more conducive to onions over beets.  As it happened, the beet juice did not take hold in the handmade paper and left me with a basis for a yellow onion. 

 I really enjoyed coming up with a three-dimensional design for the unfolding of the bulb. The most challenging part was getting the right size and shape of the interactive pieces and the final product is a reflection of my difficulty shaping the outer leaves. My favorite aspects of the finished project are the innermost page of microscopic onion cells and the twine stem mimicking the top of an onion.  An onion is simple yet has potential to be profound which is why I included a free-verse poem inspired by a nanni, and brief Indian poem of 20-25 syllables.