Tuffs’ Poly Fonts

 “A is for albatross, gliding on high, He carries the sea in the tears that he cries.” – Michel Tuffery.

The ubiquity of the alphabet assumes a particular character and purpose in Michel Tuffery’s Poly Fonts, a visual diary of stories told during the first years of his granddaughter’s life.

Long an advocate for environmental protection and creative pedagogy, Michel’s letters illustrate his continual journeys from Bluff to Cape Reinga, and from Aotearoa to the creatures, islands, and voyagers of the great Moana. From Albatross to Yellow-eyed hoiho, he presents an ethic of care and call to action; and an invitation. 

Image: Michel Tuffery, Albatross (2019), detail. Courtesy of artist