2015 MCBA Prize Entries

Timothy Frerichs, “Fissile–Shale”

Frerichs_1
Handmade black cotton/abaca paper with watermarks/blow outs, Flexi-rock, Coptic binding.

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Opened showing watermarked handmade paper

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Opened showing watermarked handmade paper

Frerichs_5
Opened showing watermarked handmade paper

 

 
Timothy Frerichs (Fredonia, New York)
timothyfrerichs.com

Fissile–Shale
2015
Handmade black cotton/abaca paper with watermarks/blow outs, Flexi-rock, Coptic binding
Unique Work
Pages: 60
Dimensions open: 15.5″ x 23.5″ x 7/16″ (middle)
Dimensions closed: 15.5″ x 11.75″ x 7/8″

The artist book Fissile–Shale is part of my Shale series of artist books, installations, and works on paper relating to shale extraction. Considered a lowly rock (and not all that aesthetically attractive) native to Western New York and significant portions of the United States, shale extraction is having a profound transformative impact on the world economy, ecology, and geology. The Shale series was initiated by an invitation from the Buffalo Central Library Rare Book Collection to create an artist book responding to seminal geology/mineralogy books.

In Fissile–Shale, I am striving to connect the symbolism of fissility or fracturing of shale rock, through the action of the water with the current shale extraction process. Furthermore, I hope to engage aspects of the history of science — in particular geology including the recognition of the Anthropocene as a geological epoch.