Toga-clad spectators threw microwaved tomatoes, melon balls, and loaves of Italian bread gathered on the periphery of the reflecting pool where the battle was waged. I imagined that the NYPD were working undercover in robes, as they were conspicuously absent from the crowd that numbered over one thousand. Children and their parents, who had shown up in Flushing Meadows Corona Park simply to play soccer, became caught up in the water war. As I wandered, plucking tomato fragments from my toga, I found that many of the parents did not speak English and remained ecstatically baffled in the bleachers. Their children "got it" almost immediately and were in the water within moments after the boats sailed from behind the stage, which was backlit by the illuminated 1964 Unisphere. Duke Riley, detail of Those Who Are About To Die Salute You, 2009, 23 x 46 inches, laser-cut engraving and drypoint on phragmites handmade paper. Edition of 50 published by the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions. Collaborators: Anne Q. McKeown, Randy Hemminghaus. Courtesy of the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, New Brunswick, New Jersey. ON Duke Riley: Ecstatically Baffled eugénie barron 40 - hand papermaking Furthering his collaborative effort in the project, Riley worked with Anne McKeown and Randy Hemminghaus at Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions (BCIE) to produce the paper and print of his drawing of the naumachia event. Riley, who claims to work in the tradition of the field naturalist, made use of found remains at the fairgrounds to fabricate the boats for the offensive. During production, he employed the site's abandoned ice hockey rink as his studio while he recovered materials from his surroundings. During their preliminary discussions concerning the paper/ print project at BCIE in 2008, McKeown mentioned that the leaves of the invasive phragmites plant, plentiful in the wetlands of the fairgrounds, might be an interesting fiber for the paper. In his research, Riley found that the phragmites reed would also be perfect for building the boats. "I did a lot of reading on various historical naumachia events," said Riley. "I didn't just use the Roman model. In Egypt, papyrus was used for boatbuilding and it was also used to make a form of paper. The phragmites worked in sort of the same way. I also did not want people to get crushed in battle by whatever we built the boats from, so there was a safety factor." In preparation for the paper/print project, Riley recounted, "We overcompensated in harvesting the leaves and pulled two allnighters separating the leaves to get them to Rutgers. We were pretty delirious when we got to New Jersey. When Anne and Randy were demonstrating the process and using all of this papermaking terminology, ‘agitated fingering, beating, and couching,' we thought they were talking nasty and playing a joke on us. Anne mentioned cockling and my assistant nudged me, ‘Are they for real?' We were exhausted but really appreciative to be there." "He did not know about hand papermaking," said BCIE's master papermaker Anne McKeown. "He grabbed an idea, researched it, and jumped hurdles to accomplish it. Despite the technical difficulty of using a non-traditional fiber in our facilities, it was wonderful to have an artist risk these issues so enthusiastically." And issues they had. The reed was harvested in 2008 and stored in Riley's studio. The following spring Riley and assistants started to get bug bites as they were working on the boats. Riley described their itchy dilemma. "It didn't make sense. We had been handling the reed since February with no problem. We finally figured out that the insects had been incubating in the reeds. We needed to keep it on the down-low but were worried about the people who were going to ride the boats." His assistant Kitty Joe Sainte-Marie had been bundling the reed to make the Bronx and Queens boats. "I was freaking out because I thought I had bedbugs and dreaded telling my boyfriend. During a dinner break I finally showed Duke my stomach and he admitted that he was bitten too. I have never been so excited to have chiggers, because it meant that I did NOT have bedbugs. We went to Home Depot and bought enough bombs to fumigate the whole neighborhood." At BCIE, the smell of soaking leaves in the studio led the cleaning staff to inquire if there was a dead body in the building. Assistants had to remove dead maggots after cooking. But they came up with enough clean fiber to do an edition of fifty 23 x 46 inch prints, using a fraction of the many pounds of raw fiber that Riley had delivered. Paper samples were made to determine the ratio of phragmites fiber to overbeaten abaca which was added to improve strength and translucence. Phragmites australis subspecies americanus is found on every continent except Antarctica. Similarities in morphological characteristics and hybridizations make identification between native and nonnative species difficult. A clonal grass with lanceolate leaves and hollow culms, the phragmites plant grows from six to twenty feet tall. It spreads by rhizomes up to sixteen feet per year. Though not as invasive as kudzu, it has been nicknamed a "bio year. Though not as invasive as kudzu, it has been nicknamed a "bio bully" by conservationists because it turns into a monoculture very bully" by conservationists because it turns into a monoculture very quickly, killing the underlying natives. It enjoys an alkaline habitat, quickly, killing the underlying natives. It enjoys an alkaline habitat, tolerating brackish water on the edges of estuaries and wetlands, tolerating brackish water on the edges of estuaries and wetlands, roadsides, and stream banks. It is used for municipal treatment roadsides, and stream banks. It is used for municipal treatment facilities to dewater sewage sludge. The reed is used worldwide for facilities to dewater sewage sludge. The reed is used worldwide for such diverse things as thatching, sandals, flutes, arrow shafts, and such diverse things as thatching, sandals, flutes, arrow shafts, and mouthpieces for musical instruments. Medicinally, it is used as a mouthpieces for musical instruments. Medicinally, it is used as a diuretic, antibiotic, and antiemetic. diuretic, antibiotic, and antiemetic. Among Riley's talents are tattoo, mosaic, and scrimshaw, which Among Riley's talents are tattoo, mosaic, and scrimshaw, which are technically exacting and can be somewhat solitary pursuits. are technically exacting and can be somewhat solitary pursuits. I was interested in how he balances his draftsmanship with the I was interested in how he balances his draftsmanship with the performance/collaborative activities. He explained, "Printing at performance/collaborative activities. He explained, "Printing at BCIE was like opening a present in reverse. Reproduction gave me BCIE was like opening a present in reverse. Reproduction gave me more accessibility in sharing the image. My drawing style is like more accessibility in sharing the image. My drawing style is like engraving, and it takes me months to do one drawing, then that's engraving, and it takes me months to do one drawing, then that's it, the one drawing. I need to do the loner stuff, but after a couple it, the one drawing. I need to do the loner stuff, but after a couple of months I get sick of being a hermit and want to go outdoors and of months I get sick of being a hermit and want to go outdoors and get direct social feedback." get direct social feedback." When I asked McKeown whether there were any particular When I asked McKeown whether there were any particular struggles in printing on the phragmites paper she commented, struggles in printing on the phragmites paper she commented, "The paper took ink really well. Randy used a backing sheet, building "The paper took ink really well. Randy used a backing sheet, building up softness so that the print had a lush quality, differing from up softness so that the print had a lush quality, differing from the effect of drawing directly or making scrimshaw. While we don't the effect of drawing directly or making scrimshaw. While we don't always want to deal with problems such as shrinkage and absorbency, always want to deal with problems such as shrinkage and absorbency, in this case we found the challenges of working with an alternative in this case we found the challenges of working with an alternative fiber to be fun and exciting." fiber to be fun and exciting." Riley's use of the reclaimed remnants of a former World's Fair Riley's use of the reclaimed remnants of a former World's Fair added an anthropological dimension to his pageantry that carried added an anthropological dimension to his pageantry that carried over to the opening in November 2009 at the Queens Museum. over to the opening in November 2009 at the Queens Museum. For the exhibition he presented the print Morituri te Salutant and For the exhibition he presented the print Morituri te Salutant and created a diorama from the wreckage of August 13. On his website, created a diorama from the wreckage of August 13. On his website, Riley states, "My work addresses the prospect of residual but forgotten Riley states, "My work addresses the prospect of residual but forgotten unclaimed frontiers on the edge and inside overdeveloped unclaimed frontiers on the edge and inside overdeveloped urban areas, and their unsuspected autonomy. I am interested in urban areas, and their unsuspected autonomy. I am interested in the struggle of marginal peoples to sustain independent spaces the struggle of marginal peoples to sustain independent spaces within all encompassing societies, the tension between individual within all encompassing societies, the tension between individual and collective behavior, the conflict with institutional power." and collective behavior, the conflict with institutional power." Prankishly dissident, Riley uses synchronicity and social risk Prankishly dissident, Riley uses synchronicity and social risk to create what he calls "performative interventions." Humor adds to create what he calls "performative interventions." Humor adds to the humanity during his events rather than detracting from the to the humanity during his events rather than detracting from the deeper social issues into which he inquires. He has incorporated deeper social issues into which he inquires. He has incorporated his joyful rebellion into his artistic practice, giving us his story and his joyful rebellion into his artistic practice, giving us his story and drawing from his collaborative engagement with others. drawing from his collaborative engagement with others. ___________ ___________ sources sources • Phone interviews conducted separately with Duke Riley, Kitty Joe Sainte-Marie, - Phone interviews conducted separately with Duke Riley, Kitty Joe Sainte-Marie, and Anne McKeown, October through December 2009. and Anne McKeown, October through December 2009. • Queens Museum, Duke Riley: Those About to Die Salute You, http://www - Queens Museum, Duke Riley: Those About to Die Salute You, http://www .queensmuseum.org/duke-riley-those-about-to-die-salute-you .queensmuseum.org/duke-riley-those-about-to-die-salute-you • Duke Riley, http://www.dukeriley.info - Duke Riley, http://www.dukeriley.info • Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, http://www.brodskycenter.org - Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, http://www.brodskycenter.org • United States Department of Agriculture/National Resources Conservation - United States Department of Agriculture/National Resources Conservation Service, http://plants.usda.gov Service, http://plants.usda.gov • United States Department of Agriculture/National Invasive Species Information - United States Department of Agriculture/National Invasive Species Information Center http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/main.shtml Center http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/main.shtml • Invasive Species Specialist Group, http://www.issg.org - Invasive Species Specialist Group, http://www.issg.org • Margaret Delfeld and Neal Delfeld, Plants for Use, http://www.plantsforuse - Margaret Delfeld and Neal Delfeld, Plants for Use, http://www.plantsforuse

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