Art21 Extended Play

Maya Lin Examines Disappearing Bodies of Water

ML Disappearing Bodies of Water

Maya Lin with a model for her sculpture “Disappearing Bodies of Water: Lake Chad” (2013). Production still from the series Exclusive. © Art21, Inc. 2013. Cinematography by Rafael Salazar Moreno.

“I love the environment. I love the world around us.” —Maya Lin

In today’s Exclusive, filmed in late 2012, Maya Lin discusses her marble sculpture series, Disappearing Bodies of Water, shown in progress at her Manhattan studio. Lin’s collective process of researching, drawing, model making, and mechanized fabrication led to these forms that highlight the erosion of Lake Chad, the Aral Sea, and the Arctic Ice Shelf. As a young woman growing up in Athens, Ohio, Lin staged protests against environmental crimes and cruelties. She continues to be an activist today, using her art to encourage closer examination of the natural world. Watch the film below: