Francis: Turtle Objects
*Photos by Monica Sermegiu
Francis enjoying all of their turtle objects and ephemera.
FRANCIS: It’s funny when you decide you have an animal you really connect with because then every holiday people get you turtle things.
ZOE: I’ve heard it can be overwhelming when a community finds out about a collector’s collection. It becomes a social thing.
F: Oh, totally. Most of these things I didn't get for myself.
Z: You just told one person you liked turtles?
I had taken this evolutionary biology class where we read an article talking about how turtles are born male or female depending on temperature; I became super obsessed with that.
F: Yeah, or how I identified with turtles, rather. Like this one was the first gift that Leah ever got me—and it was like a weird Christmas present cause we met in November, and—it’s like you know when you start dating somebody and you don’t really know them that well? It was like that, uh here's something so you have something to open for Christmas.
Z: How would you describe your collection? What defines it?
Francis showing off a pair of turtle coasters.
F: It’s turtle things, mostly. It’s funny cause I don’t know that it started out as a collection. It just happened. I had taken this evolutionary biology class where we read an article talking about how turtles are born male or female depending on temperature; I became super obsessed with that.
Z: Do you remember which for which?
F: When it is really hot or really cold the turtles are born female, but then there is this five degree window between the two where the sex could be male. Turtles are weird. They always crawl back to the beach where they were born. The first few years of their lives no one knows where they go.
Z: What do you mean?
F: They have never been tracked right after being born—and they follow the moonlight on the ocean. I think I kind of look like a turtle.
Francis’ turtle box.
Fossilized turtle poop.
Z: Your bowl cut helps.
{Francis runs their hands through their bowl cut.}
F: Maybe it’s kind of shell-like? I feel like from the nose down I look like a turtle. I've always thought about getting a turtle tattoo because I identify with them so much. But, I've never done it cause every drawing you see is kind of ugly and cartoon-like. I would probably want to get one in the style of scientific etching.
Z: Have your turtles ever been inspiration for you artistically?
F: Oh, totally! My undergrad thesis manuscript was a collection of poetry about turtles based on that little tidbit about how they are born male or female. It was not directly about turtles, you know. It was poems that explore gender and my relationship with my dad. Now I'm like ugh, I never want to read those again.
Turtle mugs.
Z: Is there anything else you want to say about your turtle collection? Do you have plans for it?
F: I think that I've moved around so much, I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff but I will never get rid of a turtle thing. Its funny...I just feel like it found me. My Gender, My Turtle; that’s what my thesis was called. Just kidding.
Francis Lo is the author of A Series of Un/Natural/Disasters (Commune Editions 2016), and the chapbooks NO FILTER (Aggregate Space 2014) and Ephemera & Atmospheres (Belladonna* 2014).
