»World of Water« by Marcel van Beek

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  • Author
  • Publisher
    MarcelvanBeek Selbstverlag
  • Price
    € 89
  • Link
  • Pages
    124
  • Dimensions
    A3 Landscape
  • Characteristics
    Cloth-bound Hardcover
  • ISBN
    978-3-00-081294-1
  • Published
    March 2025
Report issue

World of Water explores water’s myriad aesthetic and ecological dimensions. Supported by a profound UFZ scientific essay on ecosystem functions, this exquisite volume translates complex environmental research into a sensory journey of profound depth.

Marcel van Beek: World of Water

World of Water is a high-end photobook and exhibition catalogue produced for the Technical University of Aschaffenburg 2026. In this bilingual (English/German) publication, Leipzig-based artist Marcel van Beek presents a meticulous photographic investigation into the materiality and ecological agency of water.

Artistic and Scientific Discourse

The work transcends pure aesthetics by situating itself within the current sustainability debate. A central feature of the book is an analytical essay by Professor Dr. Erik Gawel from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), which provides a theoretical framework for the series. Gawel identifies the work as a "powerful voice" that brings global environmental challenges into public consciousness. Further academic perspectives are provided by Professor Dr. Ludger Schneider-Störmann, who reflects in his preface on the "cinematic intensity" and the interplay between beauty and the vulnerability of our environment.

Curation and Materiality

The publication reflects van Beek’s signature formal rigour across 124 pages and 67 plates. The sequence explores the "fascinating world of water" through diverse topographies—from "Still Waters" and "Sea of Clouds" to „Green Water“ and "Miroitant Triangulations". The physical object is designed to match this high artistic standard, featuring a Hardcover with a tactile textile binding, reinforcing the work's status as a collectible artist’s book.

Institutional Integration

The project's significance is validated by its inclusion in major specialized and university libraries, most notably those of the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the UFZ. As a visual ode to our planet’s most vital resource, World of Water functions as a bridge between scientific observation and artistic meditation.

Technical Specifications

  • Extent: 124 pages, 67 illustrations

  • Binding: Hardcover with textile finish

  • Language: Bilingual (English/UK and German)

  • ISBN: 978-3-00-081294-1

  • Publisher: Marcel van Beek Selbstverlag

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In situ study of the photobook, featuring the linen-bound hardcover. The tactile quality of the textile-bound hardcover enhances the haptic experience of this visual ode to water.

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»Ripples« (2018)Captured with meticulous "in-camera" precision, "Ripples" transforms a fleeting physical phenomenon into a complex, abstract landscape. The rhythmic, undulating patterns of the water's surface create a sense of cinematic intensity, blurring the line between documentary observation and alchemical transformation.

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Table of Content of the publication with the essay of Prof. Gawel, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig (Germany), and 9 sections of different "worlds of water".

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»Sea and Chalk« (2023)Within the 'Troubled Sea' section, the artist presents the chalk cliffs of Rügen, a signature piece of his fine-art practice. Though silent and contemplative, the motif alludes to the sheer force of the water, which continually reshapes the coastline's fragile chalk formations.

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This image in the sequence presents the internal colophon and opening title page, establishing the publication's formal structure. It serves as a transition from the physical exterior to the intellectual content of the book. The use of Futura Book typeface reflects a modernist aesthetic that aligns with the "formal rigour" of the photographic series.

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This image represents the structural transition into the first of nine thematic categories within the book, titled "Stille Wasser / Silent Water". The spread establishes the contemplative pace of the publication through a minimalist, bilingual layout.

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This spread highlights the core aesthetic of the "Silent Water" category, featuring two contrasting yet harmonious monochrome plates."Ripples" on the right and "Sinking" on the left. The clean layout with ample negative space ensures that the "visual ode to the water" remains the primary focus for the viewer's reflection.

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»Frozen Shroud« (2025)Within the ‘Morphing Visage’ series, the work captures the phenomenal transformation of water into ice as it interacts with industrial material. This unlikely duet allows a translucent frozen skin to settle across the folds of a tarpaulin, transmuting technical structures into a sculptural field of light and relief.

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This double-page spread presents the ‘Green Water’ series, a concept derived from environmental science that refers to water bound within biomass and essential for terrestrial life. The accompanying text for the work "Maize Tunnel" elucidates the intricate dialogue between van Beek’s artistic vision and science highlighting the ecological significance of the hydrological cycle.

»Carboniferous I« (2018)
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»Carboniferous I« (2018)

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This panoramic double-page spread presents the work "Sea of Clouds" which serves as a pivotal piece in the category titled "Morphing Visage". Trade wind clouds, photographed from above, here evoke the appearance of an expansive ocean panorama. The vastness of the panorama invites the viewer into a state of meditation and dreaming.

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This double-page spread features the work "Nimbostratus 02" (2018), further exploring the themes within the "Morphing Visage" category. The layout integrates a bilingual reflective text that serves as a poetic counterpart to the scientific discourse provided by Professor Dr. Erik Gawel elsewhere in the volume.

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»Triangulation miroitante« (2024)This image presents the work "Miroitant Triangulation" which serves as a central study of urban water and its multi-functional role in the contemporary landscape. Captured with the artist’s signature formal rigour, the piece explores water not only as an aquatic habitat but as a vital cooling factor.

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This double-page spread presents the intellectual core of the volume: the interdisciplinary essay by Professor Dr. Erik Gawel (University of Leipzig / Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ). It is a composite view of the scholarly contribution. The layout balances academic rigour with aesthetic sensitivity, situating van Beek’s work within a broader historical and ecological context.

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»Spray (red)« (2020)From the 'Rushing Water' series, which is dedicated to hydrological dynamics, this work captures the foaming power of water at a weir. The square format of the photograph further intensifies this energy, creating a sense of concentrated force.

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This double-page spread features the work Spray (red) as it appears within the monograph. It is juxtaposed with Rushing Water (2020), a piece that transforms the surging flow at a weir into a semi-abstract work of art.

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»Underpass I« (2025)The artist explores the tension between industrial containment and fluid autonomy, capturing a moment where rigid concrete structures are met by the rhythmic reflections of a subterranean canal. The work highlights a transformative threshold where technical framing dissolves into light, documenting an urban transition where water is strictly guided.

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The final image in the submission presents the back cover of the volume, designed to provide a comprehensive conclusion to the "World of Water" project. The layout balances personal biography with philosophical reflection, anchoring the artistic work in the artist’s professional background.The cover is headlined by a bilingual quote from the master Katsushika Hokusai.

»World of Water« by Marcel van Beek by Marcel van Beek

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