| Title | Rocketship |
| Subtitle | The Future Hope of Ages Past |
| Artist / Creator | Marian Crane |
| Press Name | Crane Designs |
| Artist's Nationality | United States |
| Place of Publication | Phoenix, AZ |
| Publication Date | 2017 |
| Process / Technique | Laser printed and gel-transferred text on cotton fabric |
| Structure / Binding | Accordion-fold binding |
| Medium / Materials | Cloth applique, hand embroidery, machine stitch, glass beads, cedar wood, waxed polyester thread, and individually hand-set Swarovski crystal accents |
| Paper Stock | Pages: sewn, painted, appliqued, and embroidered linen strips |
| Number of Pages | 6 recto, 6 verso with text and images, with one inset page for title and colophon |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 3.5 x 2 x 1 inches closed. Extends out to 19 inches. |
| Edition Size | Edition of 5 |
| Box / Wrapper | Each book comes in a titled, signed, and numbered cream muslin envelope |
| Signed & Numbered | Signed and numbered edition |
Rocketship by Marian Crane
Rocketship, an edition of five accordion-fold books celebrating the old romance and future shape of the Space Race with retro-style applique and embroidered sci-fi rocketships on painted linen, original text gel-transferred onto cotton, glass bead accents, and Swarovski crystal accents. Covers are woodburned and painted cedar with faux-lapis blue glass bead accents.
Previous to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the American psyche had consigned space exploration to pulp science fiction and fantasy tales. The Space Race forced the Unites States to focus on scientific advancements to solve the problem of ‘Who gets to the Moon first?’ Science, mathematics, and engineering pioneered in that contest shaped the world’s technologies and even cultural shifts, while bringing the romance of space into public awareness.
Text: ‘Rocketship: The Future Hope of Ages Past’, ‘Race to the Moon, Survey the Stars, Renew the Earth, Scout New Worlds’. The main text panels outline separate aspects of space exploration, from the relatively-simple Moon landing contest to global climate tracking and pushing our understanding of cosmology.
Artist Bio
Marian Crane grew up amid the spectacular landscapes and cultural diversity of northern New Mexico. A silversmith and fiber artist, she became enchanted with book art in the late 1990s. Her book art focuses on fiber, leather, glass, and wood surfaces because of their tactile richness, becoming hand-held installation art for busy collectors who want a portable, introspective, and meditative experience. These books aren’t meant for large-scale display, but to be private pieces shared with close friends and family.