Episode #184: 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.

Trained as an artist and architect, Maya Lin catapulted into the public eye when her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.—often described as a "wound" in the earth—was selected from a national competition. Her subsequent monuments, parks, architectural projects, and sculptures are linked by her ongoing desire to make a place for individuals within the landscape.

Learn more about the artist at:
http://www.art21.org/artists/maya-lin

CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Interview: Ian Forster. Camera: Rafael Salazar Moreno & Ava Wiland. Sound: Ava Wiland. Editor: Morgan Riles. Additional Graphics Courtesy: National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder. Artwork Courtesy: Maya Lin.