This week I'll be featuring discarded flag fabric from Antarctica. Flags are ubiquitous on the Ice where a typical day offers encounters with any number of safety flags, warning flags, field flags, trail flags, military flags, and of course national flags including Old Glory itself. antarctic-item-052-americanflag-500x355 The flag above was retired from service shortly before I brought it back to San Francisco. I'm told it flew over the main hut at Lake Hoare, which would make it the same one in my January 13 photo, re-posted here: 20090112hoaremainhut500x375 How will this flag figure into my project? Possibly in pieces, since its stripes were cut into by the time I got it. Initially dismaying, the missing chunk now inspires me to combine various fabrics and textures to invent hybrid Antarctic flags with new significance. Much thanks to Jessy Jenkins at McMurdo's Berg Field Center for procuring this very special artifact for me.

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