| Title | Water Works |
| Artist / Creator | Marilyn Stablein |
| Press Name | Book Arts Editions |
| Place of Publication | Portland, Oregon |
| Publication Date | 2016 |
| Process / Technique | Scans, laser copies |
| Structure / Binding | Pamphlet stitch |
| Medium / Materials | Silk book cloth, book board |
| Paper Stock | Strathmore, Canson papers, oceanographic map, paste paper, yuzen, seismographic chart |
| Number of Pages | 8 pages |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 8.25 x 10.25 x .5 inches closed. |
| Edition Size | Edition of 4 |
| Signed & Numbered | Signed and numbered edition |
Part of an ongoing series of works to help protect, conserve, honor and raise awareness about water, a natural resource essential to life. The title Water Works has multiple meanings. The first alludes to 3 art works with water themes: Fish in Rising Seas (original collage), Cloud Boat in Rising Seas (scanned collage) and Bursting Waters, a pop-up (double nested, hand-trimmed Turkish map fold pop-up with decorative collage.) Looked at another way, Water, Works! refers to my love of water-powered devices. Water (as an element) when harnessed can tell time, create electricity, etc. Ancient Egyptian and Greek water clock illustrations are included as is a Water Wheel game (single layer volvelle.) On facing page lift six flaps to find tips on water conservation-useful in these challenging times of global warming trends.
On a personal note, even though water is abundant in the Northwest Cascadia bioregion where I live, there are constant threats to purity, quantity and availability.
Artist Bio
Cultural artifacts, found objects, shamanic tools, ritual objects and ecological specimens are found in Marilyn's books. Her work transforms and celebrates minutia, everyday objects and ephemera, especially personal archival material. A number of books have narrative elements that explore personal history including a six year Himalayan residency to learn Tibetan calligraphy and book arts. A resident of the Northwest Cascadian bioregion, a series of written and visual works focus on the theme of water. She exhibits in universities, museums, libraries and galleries including the University of San Diego, University of Nebraska, Pyramid Arts Center, Rhode Island School of Design and Delaware Center for Contemporary Art. Her work appears online in The Bone Folder and is in public and private collections. A monograph Bind, Alter, Fold: Artists Books (Book Arts Editions) was featured on the cover of Bound & Lettered Magazine.