SECRET CODEWORDS OF THE NSA: WATERWITCH
woodblock print (mokuhanga)6" x 6" (152.4 x 152.4 mm)
2 layers of color plus blind emboss on Kochi Kozo paper
edition: 20
WATERWITCH is a hand held device used for homing in on target cell phones, providing a specific and precise location. You can see a photograph of the device here if you're interested. This device would be used in the field in order to precisely locate a target, probably in order to kill or capture the target.
Often when I'm working on these codewords I consult Google just to see what comes up. It turns out that 'water witching' is a term for the ancient practice of dowsing, a type of divination in which a hand held Y-shaped twig or rod, called a dowsing rod or a witching rod, is used to locate ground water or other valuables. In fact, according to Wikipedia, dowsing was used to track criminals and heretics in 17th century France.
It's also worth noting that assassination or murder is sometimes referred to by the euphemism 'wetwork,' in an allusion to spilled blood.
2 comments:
In a desperate attempt to find a break in a sewer pipe on our property at one time we resorted to a fellow with a waterwitch. It didn't work, but I'm sure the NSA's works much better! Love this series and the way you're treating it.
Thanks, Sharri. Kind of cool that you tried dowsing!
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