Batik Earth

The view from above in wax and dye

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Selenga Delta, Russia: a 46” x 45” batik based on Google Earth imagery. It depicts the Selenga River emptying into Lake Baikal in southeastern Siberia. Melting of the permafrost in this region will greatly increase the concentration of methane in the atmosphere.

Bhutan's Himalayas, based on a 2001 satellite image

Hurricane Katrina: based on a NOAA satellite image taken before the storm reached the coast

Boston II, Massachusetts: with human development on the harbor islands removed

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Mary Edna Fraser uses the ancient technique of batik to illustrate landscapes around the world that are most vulnerable to climate change. Her recent work adorns Global Climate Change: A Primer by Orrin and Keith Pilkey.

Batik is a wax-resistant fabric-dyeing technique. Fraser pencils her designs onto silk, then applies multiple layers of wax and dye to create depth. She models her work on maps, satellite images, and her own aerial photographs. (She is also a pilot and flies her family’s vintage 1946 Ercoupe over the eastern seaboard of the U.S.)

Learn more about Fraser’s work

Images ©Mary Edna Fraser