The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer Cabin Edition by Amani Willett

A new edition of the collected works of Amani Willett, originally published by Overlapse in 2017 and remaining out of print.

"This is a fascinating story based on the life of Joseph Plummer, a mysterious hermit who lived in the woods of central New Hampshire in the late 1700s. Two centuries later, an unsuspecting man purchases an isolated plot of land to build a retreat for himself, and discovers Joseph's legend deep within the tranquility of the forest. This atmospheric book explores our human desire to find tranquil solitude, far from all the responsibilities and connections of the modern world.

Investigating themes of history, place and myth, Amani Willett's photographs trace the hidden traces of a hermit on land now owned by his family. Willett's father purchased the deed to the land 40 years ago with the intention of building a secluded country house, unaware of the existence of a hermit who had wandered there some 200 years before him. In learning about Plummer's existence, Willett has endeavoured to photograph fragmented stories in the same landscapes where he once inhabited. He combed local historical sources to find the first handwritten accounts that reveal the hermit's character, and also researched the actual possessions seen in the book. Such visual investigations are accompanied by historical portraits and landscapes that inspired Willett's physical interventions in the form of subversive appliqués and collages. The result is a candid reflection of events from the past while leaving Plummer's hidden history a mystery. It reveals the hermit's timeless resonance, not only as a counterpoint to our fast-paced, technology-driven modern world, but also as an evocation of the romantic allure of escape and adventure for new generations.

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Title: The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer Cabin Edition
Artist: Amani Willett
Overlapse, 2019
Softcover, 140 x 180 mm
128 pages
ISBN: 9781999446819
¥3,700 + tax