Water Bodies

2019

Interpretations of annual average temperature for the oceans (1) and land (2), hemp dyed with plant- and insect-derived dyes, petrochemical-derived fishing line 

The strands of dyed hemp warp threads in Water Bodies color-code 138 years of temperature for the earth’s surface. This materialization of rising temperatures is held together with petrochemical-derived fishing line to create woven patterns that mimic waves. While the fishing line’s reflective quality evokes the glimmering surface of a body of water, the combination of materials and data also suggests the link between climate crisis, extraction of petrochemicals, and the accumulation of toxic plastics in our bodies and ecosystems.

Photo credits: Philip Maisel