Merde Sur La Mer, 2008, unique artist’s book on Epson Enhanced Matte and Okawara papers with digital printing, acrylic ink, linoleum relief prints, yarn and board in a hardcover accordion, open: 51.5” x 56.5” x 6”. In the collection of Depaul University

As with much of my work, this artist’s book focuses on an aspect of our complex relationship with the natural environment, in this case, with the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean. In 2007, I spent a month at a residency on the big island of Hawaii. One day, another artist at the residency, Pam Longobardi, drove us all down to Green Sand Beach where we were shocked to discover huge piles of plastic waste piled up on an otherwise pristine coastline. I began to research the Pacific Gyre, a floating area of plastic pollution larger than the state of Texas in the Pacific, and created this artist’s book as a result. One of the things that struck me was the global nature of the problem, with so many countries contributing trash to the sea, but none willing to offer any resources to address it. The words stitched into the accordion mean “shit” in several languages, and the book’s title (in French) translates to “Shit on The Sea,” referring to the floating plastic waste on the surface and to the idea that humans are not taking responsibility for how their habits of consumption affect the health of the ocean. The bright colors reference lively sea life images you might see at an aquarium, but the objects floating in the waterline and hanging from the tangled lengths of yarn are tires, oil drums, plastic bottles and other containers. The tangled net of objects is something I’ve used in other projects to refer to complexity, confusion and a lack of clear solutions.

Depaul University Richardson Library Special Collections