Seven Square Inches of Water

A limited edition artwork created by Maya Lin to benefit the “What Is Missing?” foundation. Seven Square Inches of Water is limited edition artwork created by Maya Lin to benefit her environmental foundation the What Is Missing? project, the artist’s multimedia “memorial,” conceived as a platform for raising awareness about species loss and environmental issues. In her artist statement on the foundation’s website, Lin explains that her goal is to challenge “us to consider the air, land, and oceanic migratory corridors of birds, animals, and sea-life that are at risk.” And, here, within a neat square composition, Lin’s blue, cast, and polished glass takes the shape of perfectly confined and pristine rolling waves. An echo of Wavefield, the artist’s 2009 earthwork, which stretches four acres at Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York, this small-scale sculpture continues Lin’s exploration of water-wave formations, only this time, the sheer unspoiled imagery suggests a calm, soothing alternative to the oceanic troubles faced today.