Mourning Dove by Alexander Knudsen reflects on the intertwined memories of family and place. Knudsen writes, “My grandfather taught me how to cup my hands together, thumbs pointed to create a mouthpiece to mimic the coo of the bird that calls each morning. The mourning dove is thought to be a harbinger of deliverance, or a spiritual message of hope. Its soft, sorrowful call marks the beginning of a new day.”
The daily sound of a mourning dove forms a rhythm for life in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where the artist lives with his family and where his mother and grandfather before him also called home.
Made along the tidal banks, river paths, and marshlands of Cape Ann, these photographs show the textures of this coastal landscape. Morning walks, fleeting encounters, and Craigslist connections weave together with intimate family moments to create a layered portrait of place.
Both personal and universal, the book shows how place and memory intertwine, and how noticing becomes an act of remembrance and grace.
Special Edition includes one signed 8”x10” silver gelatin fiber print made by the artist, and a signed edition of Mourning Dove.
More Details
Printed and bound in New England
6.5” x 11”
76 pages
32 images
Hard cover with lay-flat binding
Afterword by Barbara Bosworth
Design by Emily Sheffer
Published by Dust Collective
Spring 2026
ISBN 979-8-9893350-7-7
About the Artist
Alexander Knudsen is a photographer working on the North Shore of Massachusetts where he lives with his family. He graduated with departmental honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2014.
His work is rooted in the landscape of Ipswich, where his family has lived for generations. Much of his practice takes place in his backyard, the streets and woodlands of Cape Ann, or along the highway to his office job outside of Boston.
The title of his upcoming monograph, Mourning Dove, comes from a childhood memory of learning to mimic the bird’s call with his grandfather. The dove, often seen as a harbinger of deliverance or hope, carries into his work a sense of quiet endurance and renewal.
Mourning Dove by Alexander Knudsen reflects on the intertwined memories of family and place. Knudsen writes, “My grandfather taught me how to cup my hands together, thumbs pointed to create a mouthpiece to mimic the coo of the bird that calls each morning. The mourning dove is thought to be a harbinger of deliverance, or a spiritual message of hope. Its soft, sorrowful call marks the beginning of a new day.”
The daily sound of a mourning dove forms a rhythm for life in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where the artist lives with his family and where his mother and grandfather before him also called home.
Made along the tidal banks, river paths, and marshlands of Cape Ann, these photographs show the textures of this coastal landscape. Morning walks, fleeting encounters, and Craigslist connections weave together with intimate family moments to create a layered portrait of place.
Both personal and universal, the book shows how place and memory intertwine, and how noticing becomes an act of remembrance and grace.
Special Edition includes one signed 8”x10” silver gelatin fiber print made by the artist, and a signed edition of Mourning Dove.
More Details
Printed and bound in New England
6.5” x 11”
76 pages
32 images
Hard cover with lay-flat binding
Afterword by Barbara Bosworth
Design by Emily Sheffer
Published by Dust Collective
Spring 2026
ISBN 979-8-9893350-7-7
About the Artist
Alexander Knudsen is a photographer working on the North Shore of Massachusetts where he lives with his family. He graduated with departmental honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2014.
His work is rooted in the landscape of Ipswich, where his family has lived for generations. Much of his practice takes place in his backyard, the streets and woodlands of Cape Ann, or along the highway to his office job outside of Boston.
The title of his upcoming monograph, Mourning Dove, comes from a childhood memory of learning to mimic the bird’s call with his grandfather. The dove, often seen as a harbinger of deliverance or hope, carries into his work a sense of quiet endurance and renewal.
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