Oil City
OIL CITY
Tony Bellaver & Mary V. Marsh
Utilizing the Labyrinth/Snake fold format as metaphor, we explore tangled ways mankind treats and inhabits the landscape. The images and poem for this book come from witnessing the active oil fields near the Kern River in southern San Joaquin Valley, California. They become signifiers for us exploring the projection of human traits onto the landscape, its elements and inhabitants; anthropomorphizing sounds, smells and textures we experience. The landscape becomes our adversary that we must win over and conquer to gain advantage in a feudal world. John L. O’Sullivan’s concept of “Manifest Destiny” identifies within us, how we exist in the world.
“Sentinels; pumpjacks labor and moan on a vacant wind. Tumbleweed and thistle dried on a malodorous sweet acidic breeze encroach with menacing profile in a landscape that begs not to be abandoned.”
Snake-fold, two-sided pigment print on Red River enhanced matte, letterpress printed polymer plate and Enhanced Shaded 12pt type. 2.75” x 3.75” x .5” closed, 2.75” x 20” x 3.75” open accordion 11” x 15” open to full image. 16 pages, edition of 85.