See: The CODEX Papers, Volume three, 2021, p78-82

Reference note:
Ruth Rogers writes: “Ungaretti’s poetry in Italian and French was the inspiration for Kalumet, his verses appearing in Lange’s book only as interludes, as pauses and expansions on this meditation about our fragile world. … The first two lines of his poem La Preghiera (1928) are a touchstone for Lange’s minimalist sensory response:

'How gentle the world

Must have been before man'

As we continue paging through the book, Lange introduces individual sections, or what might be experienced as ‘meditations,’ on five of the world’s continents with a photograph of each area’s flora that he developed directly onto handmade Nepalese paper. A sky map of North America shows 46 languages, 5647 flights. Because there are thousands of flights travelling between so many cities, the entire continent appears solid when one turns the page. For Africa which is introduced by a stand of Baobab, 1895 languages, 222 flights. 'Kalmut' (the German spelling of Calmut) – a native American ceremonial peace pipe – is a prayer for the world, for peace and preservation of cultures.

Exhibition notes:
Samplings: International Artists' Books and Archive on the Book Arts. JGCBA, WAM. 26 March to 6 July 2019

Gaia: Dialogue between the book arts, natural sciences & plant humanities. JBCBA, WAM. Curated by David Paton & Ciara Struwig. 16 September – 12 December 2025

Ref: GB/15042