2.5 by Bonnie Meltzer -SOLD!

For the last two years, I have been immersed in stopping the proposed coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington. Although my previous work had environmental themes, over a year ago I began making mixed-media artworks specifically related to coal. The work in this show, 2.5 is an adaptation of a much larger crocheted and beaded work called Particulate Matter. PM 2.5 refers to the unseen, tiny particulates that are taken into our lungs and cause the most damage. The mining, transporting and burning of coal leave us with an abundance of these dangerous particles. As a sculptor, the intimacy of a small accordion book captivated me because of its ability to change shape in the reader's hands. Crocheted wire and fishing line, my usual materials, had to be adapted to book techniques. Folds had to be hammered; letters drawn with wire, then embroidered on; and transparency problems solved, yet embraced. The text is "Some dust you can't see but lungs know."