FOUNTAIN (STUDIO PLUMBING)
MFA Studios, Monash University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (2017)

Fountain – Studio Plumbing, juxtaposed the experiences of a fountain and a plumbing fault, to highlight the opposing attitudes and mixed emotions caused by our struggle to control water. The work continued the reductive method of Fountains (2016-17) stripping the fountain of its decorative exterior, this time emphasizing the system of pipes that make its function possible and which render fountains both works of art and engineering. This fountain was a direct extrusion of the existing infrastructure of the building, a single pipe extending into the centre of the exhibition space, redirecting the course of water to this point. At the terminus of this extrusion, the constant pressure of the building’s water supply is made visible, spraying freely into the air as a mist, descending into puddles in the gallery floor. The artificial enclosure of the gallery was forced into conflict with the real-world consequences of the fountain, questioning the role of the gallery itself as site of cultural nourishment. One of the great conundrums of urban life is that we are simultaneously dependant upon and threatened by water . While it is essential and often scarce, our limited capacity to tame its flows threatens the stability of urban landscapes and way of life . The work slowly floods the contained exhibition space and threatens the adjacent studios. Without a system of regulation, once activated the event will unfold until it is physically shut off. This contingency means that the work may be extremely short lived, or may be allowed to progress for a number of hours or even days. The duration of the work is thus limited by the ability of the institution to accept this event as art, to accept the risk and potential damage it may cause, and the audience’s tolerance for waste. It is a gesture of antagonism, whereby the behavioral structures of art viewing, not-touching or disturbing a work of art, the trust in the institution to mitigate risks to visitors, etc. served to support the duration of the piece.

Water, copper pipes, modified plumbing system. Duration and dimensions variable. Installation views, Master of Fine Art studios, Building B.632, Monash University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, 2017.