iris grimm, “a comparative overview of rivers”

iris grimm
Boston, Massachusetts
irisgrimm.art

a comparative overview of rivers
2018
hand bound partitioned case, accordion books, linocut prints
10.38 x 7.75 x 1.25″

Artist Statement

A comparative overview of rivers is based on an antique German map comparing the lengths of rivers throughout the world. I was interested in the way that the map stripped the rivers down to their basic shapes in order to compare them and the almost biological quality the renderings take on in this context.

I chose six of the rivers and made linocut prints of their maps to further distill the rivers down to their shape. Cutting the image into the lino block mimics the way that the rivers are carved into the earth. each print is a different length in relation to the river that it depicts. The prints are bound as concertina books. I chose the concertina style binding to reference the folds of road maps and how they wear over time. All six maps are housed in a partitioned drop spine box.