chris ruston
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Silent Spring, - An Altered Book

8/17/2013

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I recently read Rachel Carson's ground breaking book Silent Spring. Controversial  when first published in the 1960's it has gone on to become a classic. Rachel Carson , a marine biologist, spoke out about the use of agricultural pesticides and chemicals, and the consequences of indescriminate spraying. This was having a severe and in some cases devastating impact on wildlife and on humans. Her courage in speaking out inspired a grassroots enviromental movement that led to the creation of the US Enviromental Protection Agency.  Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national policy, and led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides.

It is striking how relevant her arguments remain today. Having finished the book I wanted to create a piece of work using her words. Staying with the book and altering it by a combination of folding and cutting, the book has become a sculptural piece. Random sentences stand forth from the main body of the text, highlighting various aspects of her argument and concerns. The silhouette of a crow rises from the centre of the book block. The crow represents death, but also becomes a symbol of life, of survival, saved by Carson's words. We all owe Rachel Carson a debt of gratitude.
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    Welcome.
    ​Here you will find a gathering of thoughts, notes, and images which inform my work.  A "virtual sketchbook" of projects and ideas as they evolve.


    I am also part of Bookscapes Collective.
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    Bookscapes is a group of six artists that have developed a group practice specialising in site specific interventions and exhibitions.

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  • About
  • Musings
  • Gallery
  • Artist Books
    • Reverberations
    • The Poems of Mrs Opie: A Return To Possibilities
    • Out of the Ashes
    • At Melville's Tomb
    • The Ark
    • The Great Gathering
    • Lost Voices - Whaling
    • Salts - LighthouseKeeping
    • The Future of Ice
    • The Sea
    • Holuhraun 2014 -2015
    • Silent Spring Revisited
    • Capturing the Moment.
  • Contact