Ground|Water: The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River
Ground| Water co-edited with Ander Monson and Beth Weinstein brings together a diverse community of artists, designers, and scientists interested in understanding and raising public awareness about local water and its relationship to global climate.
Writings by Nathaniel Brodie, Alison Deming, Allison Dushane, Gregg Garfin, Ander Monson, Logan Phillips, and Paul Robbins provide poetic perspectives on the Rillito River; an overview of the region's climate, hydrology, and water policy; a comparison between the theory and practice of interdisciplinary research; and a trail of the overlapping roles of science and art in the construction of contemporary concepts of nature from the Romantic period to the present.
Art and design projects include intercontinental comparisons of arid regions and river systems, finely detailed drawings, photographs and performance resulting from direct encounters with the local ecology, and collaborations with the Rillito River Project.
Book design by Jonny Black, Kelly Leslie and Ellen McMahon, 2012
Covers: letterpress on book board by Letterpress Finesse.
112 pp. / 9" x 9" / 2013
“It seems an object of art before you even turn a page. Hopefully this is the direction in which bookmaking is headed in the digital age, toward the small-batch and the quirky—something worthy of being called a genuine artifact.”
Tim Hull, Tucson Weekly
Binding: exposed and Smythe Sewn by Roswell Book Bindery, Phoenix AZ
“I immediately obtained a copy of Ground|Water and found myself holding an artifact that is as ecocritical as one could envision, right down to its physical substance produced and contracted for entirely by writers, artists and print artisans on eco friendly materials, ranging from recycled paper to the vegetable inks, an elegant miscellany of texts, essays, photos, drawings all pertaining to the Rillito as it runs through the metro area.”
Harold Fromm, Hudson Review
Interior pages: 5-color offset on New Leaf and Mohawk Loop by Arizona Lithographers.
“There is wisdom as well as beauty in this book, which starts from the premise that we do have choices and that the future brings great promise [… and goes on to encourage] us to examine our own roles in this desert ecosystem and to individually and collectively invest in the social and natural systems that support us.“
Katherine L. Jacobs, Director of the National Climate Assessment
Photography by Camden Hardy (pictured above), Daniel Cheek and Christiana Caro.
One scientist in the project describes the ability of art and design projects to "transform messages from the stilted language of scientific literature into rich, multifaceted vocabularies that can be grasped by those interested, but inexpert, in the subject matter. Turning the desecrated and overlooked dry rivers of Tucson into muse and inspiration, this project speaks volumes about community, creativity, and responsibility.
Illustration and Book Art by Robert Long (pictured above) and John Gialanella.
Architectural and Information Design by Danielle Alvarez, Sulaiman Alothman, Jennifer Heinfeld, Jongwoo Kim, Jeff Leinenveber and Mathew Propst.
Graphic Design by Jessica Gerlach.