Cicada Tattoo
Item
"I always loved and related to the Brood X cicadas who appear in West Virginia every 17 years. I count my lifetime in 17-year increments.
The Brood X emergence in 1987, 2004, and 2021 each imprinted vivid visual and aural memories for me. Their song, eyes, wings, shells, and life-cycle are all beautiful. Brood X memories are my key to safe time travel. I can summon past events, relationships with people, my mind and body at those times.
The cicada is my sign in the West Virginia zodiac created by local artist Liz Pavlovic. Jamie Sapp, a West Virginia tattoo artist designed and tattooed the one on my hand, a beautiful memory key always connecting me to the ineffable. The cicadas, Liz, and Jamie, are my therapists and beauticians."
- Contributor
-
Beth Jane Toren
Interdisciplinary, Cultural, and Film Studies Librarian
West Virginia University - Artifact Title/Name
- Cicada Tattoo
- Description
- "I count my lifetime in 17-year increments..."
- Item sets
- Historicizing Heritage Artifacts
