Thomas Lail
(To Whoever Finds This...)
To Whoever Finds This, We didn’t mean to become myth. Just people, waiting too long for the tide to roll back. The water came like a conversation no one wanted to have— first in the gutters, then in the living rooms, then in our lungs. We made flags from emergency blankets, the kind meant for warmth not waving, but silver catches light better than surrender. Our rafts were palettes. We tied them together with garden hose and the cords from broken chargers. Some of us sang. Some just watched the horizon like it might apologize. We write our names on driftwood. Leave stories tucked in tidepools. Anchor memories to the stars that still bother showing up. If you read this, know we were here. Know we tried. —From the ones who built boats out of leftovers (this text was generated by AI and may not reflect human authorship)
"To Whoever Finds This..." is a multi-part installation of sewn and screenprinted emergency-blanket flags mounted atop modified wooden pallet "rafts." The accompanying text was generated using AI and is incorporated into a series of related unique prints.
"To Whoever Finds This... " Part I was installed at Mother In Laws, Germantown, NY as part of Muskeg curated by Jessica Hargreaves and Jacob Rhodes.
"To Whoever Finds This..." Part II was installed at Ft Tilden, Rockaway, Queens as part of Portal: Rockaway curated by 4Heads


Three Flags (To whoever finds this...) Part II
screenprint enamel on sewn emergency blankets, steel, altered found wooden pallets, burlap sand bags, five units, ea, 120" x48" x48", each flag 28"x72" 2025
included in Portal: Rockaway curated by 4Heads, Fort Tilden, Rockaway, New York

Five Flags (To whoever finds this...) Part I
screenprint enamel on sewn emergency blankets, steel, altered found wooden pallets, burlap sand bags, five units, ea, 120" x48" x48", each flag 28"x72" 2025
included in Muskeg curated by Jacob Rhodes (Field Projects) and Jessica Hargreaves, Mother in Laws, Germantown, New York

Related unique prints

Five Flags (To whoever finds this...) I
screenprint enamel,monoprint from emergency blanket, handwritten graphite text on paper
18x14" 2025

Five Flags (To whoever finds this...)II
screenprint enamel,monoprint from emergency blanket, handwritten graphite text on paper
18x14" 2025

Five Flags (We didn't mean to become myth..)
screenprint enamel,monoprint from emergency blanket, handwritten graphite text on paper
18x14" 2025

Five Flags (Silver reflects light better than surrender...)
screenprint enamel,monoprint from emergency blanket, handwritten graphite text on paper
18x14" 2025

Five Flags (To whoever finds this...) III
screenprint enamel,monoprint from emergency blanket, handwritten graphite text on paper
three panels, 18x13" ea 2025
