In Aquiferious, artist Margaret Ross Tolbert combines a series of 12 essays about her favorite springs with contributions by scientists, conservationists and adventurers, all of whom share a vision of the springs—the need to protect a precious natural resource. Photographs, drawings, maps and facts are deftly incorporated by graphic designer Jarrod Ryhal.
The springs have been the subject of paintings for more than 20 years, and, as an artist, Tolbert brings a unique perspective, which she explains below:
Objects look stretched and distended in a shallow, shelf-like space; a diver is a flattened, twisted scrap of paper. Things seem to hover above the water level of the spring, in an ocean of crystal clear empty space where boats float on air; turtles and fish are suspended, motionless, lit from below by a strange phosphorescence. But put on a mask and enter the springs: the small warped space is violently blown open; you feel you are flying in a room that expands in all directions. Light seems to come from everywhere . . . It’s another planet embedded within our own, with its own rocks, light and atmosphere. We can stand on the edge of the rocks and glimpse this different world, but it is only when we enter that we experience it.
For many of us, the springs provide a much-needed transition into an underwater world. The 700 freshwater springs in Florida, the largest concentration in the world, offer an amalgam of experiences. Some are well-known tubing sites, others provide networks of caverns and tunnels and still others are just local watering holes that provide a respite from the heat.
The springs have an intangible quality that has been immortalized for centuries. Descriptions from William Bartram’s Travels 1773-1776) of “diaphanous” waters (135) in which “armies of fish were pursuing their pilgrimage to the grand pellucid fountain” (157) continue to be quoted today. Marjorie Stoneman Douglas called them “bowls of liquid light” Naturalist Archie Carr described them as “little ecologic jewels”
That continuous flow of water gives the impression that the springs, which took millions of years to form, are eternal, perpetual. But many are in danger of disappearing in our lifetime. The recharge areas have suffered from pollution, and the Florida hydrology has been subjected to years of abuse. The demands of a growing population combined with a poor water management policy have accelerated their decline.
As Tolbert writes in her introduction, “If one our hallowed mountains, Mr. Rainier or Mt. McKinkey, lost 15 percent of its mass and 3,000 meters of height in the last century, most would consider it to be a cataclysmic event, portending the end of the world and possibly even a threat to the resources and security of the United States.”
Aquiferious provides a tribute to the springs. My appreciation goes to the artist, the contributors and individuals who work to protect the springs.
Contributors:
• Margaret Ross Tolbert, art and narrative
• Bill Belleville
• Stefan Craciun
• Eric Hutcheson
• Howard Jelks
• Denise Trunk Krigbaum
• Jon Martin
• Tom Morris
• Don Roundtree
• Georgia Shemitz
• Jim Stevenson
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