‘This may be the first manifestation of the use of the book as both a matrix and a printing press. I have rubbed impressions of Beijing manhole covers into this book and then inked the rubbings with various inks and printed their impressions onto the facing pages. Using the book’s pages as both the matrix and the print surface I have contained the universe of printing in one entity; the book prints itself, or more precisely, one half of the book prints the other half of the book.

Thus I refer to two ancient Chinese printing techniques, stone rubbings, and woodblock printing. The use of the mundane subject matter is both an ironic reference to the preciousness of typical Chinese rubbing and printing subject matter and a homage to the immensity and complexity of Beijing.

Another aspect of the project involves the realization that the initial wax mono-printing embeds micro-samples of the Beijing environment into the side of the paper that contacts the matrix.  The book contains soil, dust, and other residues of Beijing within its very structure. This is not a book about Beijing, this book is a part of Beijing.’ — Marshall Weber

Media: Red wax rubbings, mono-prints from rubbings, black Japanese ink, turmeric/PVA suspension, black walnut ink, brushwork, collage, on Rives BFK paper. Hand sewn binding and treated roof tiling covers by C.K. Wilde.