Water Sampler
2022
found glass, water sample contribution, woven door mats, paper thread
Emerging from a ongoing fascination with the deep emotional links we hold with water and touching on notions of connection to place and stories held by water, Water Sampler explores the universal experience of finding solace and rejuvenation in water bodies.
An invitation for people to contribute a sample of water with which they had a unique and intimate connection set this work in motion. Glass vessels containing water were sent from many locations together with generous and personal stories of why each particular water sample held meaning.
The bringing together of these waters and their accompanying stories offers a quiet moment of honouring and reflection.
glass, thread, velvet, found glass chandelier drops
Derived from the name St Pierre, the patron saint of fishers, samphire holds an important role in the health and longevity of our estuaries. Known also by the names of Beadwort and Glasswort, historically the ash from this extraordinary plant was once used as an essential element in the making of glass.
In the estuarine environment, samphire filters brackish water as it makes it journey from land to sea. The vibrantly coloured beds of samphire stabilise the water’s edge and create a safe haven for small crustaceans, an essential food source for juvenile fish. Samphire possesses an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing water and salinity levels caused by natural tidal flow but with ever-rising sea levels its adaptability is being pushed towards its limits and threatening its long-term survival.
‘Rivière St Pierre’ is a work to honour and recognise the integral role samphire plays in the estuarine ecosystem. Referencing the European style of necklace known as the Rivière (river) as a symbol of beauty and value, samphire is represented as a precious jewel to be understood, respected and highly valued.
4000 Stories
honey, glass, cork, metal, pollen
1400 x 50 x 50 cm
2019
Once based on awe and reverence, our relationship with honey bees has descended from one of symbiosis to that of exploitation and disregard.
The ancient wisdoms of human’s connection with bees underpins this work by exploring the visceral experience of the human/bee relationship.
Engaging the chandelier as a recognised symbol of wealth and luxury, Rebecca McEwan has gathered honey from beekeepers to fill tiny glass vessel drops. Each vessel containing the life-time’s work of 2-3 bees, asking us to question the value we place on honey and the existence of bees in our delicately balanced ecosystem.
honey, glass, cork, metal, pollen, sound composition (duration 4,24 minutes) 2 channels, 4 loud speakers, continuous loop.
harvested rainwater, laboratory glass
During the 90s Dr Masaru Emoto - aquaphile, pseudo scientist and researcher conducted a series of experiments which set out to show that the structure of water could be altered through external emotional input. Despite over 20 years of research his findings were widely discredited for not following traditional scientific methodology. Emoto countered this critics by stating that this methodology was not an appropriate measure for this science. That his findings should simply be believed as evidenced by the outcome.
Michael Craig Martin sees belief of both artist and viewer as having a key place in art, the confident faith of the artist in his capacity to speak and the willing faith of the viewer in accepting what he has to say.
Rainwater, collected from the gallery roof and carefully pipetted daily onto watch glasses etched with the names of water deities is left to evaporate into the internal gallery space. The water particles lifted into the gallery atmosphere and are breathed in by the passive participants, who in turn carry those particles away with them.
The notion of being able to change water plays on my mind. Water into ice, water into gas, water into wine, water holding memory, water holding secrets, water as an oak tree.
Masaru Emoto’s water experiments of the 90s revealed an ability to influence and change water by the words we used around it. Discredited for his lack of true scientific approach, his 20 year Magnus opus is solidly placed on the pseudo science shelf.
With every biological system requiring water to function how much power does this give us to change what exists around us?
We inhale water, we exhale water, we carry and relocate it. Water is a constant, maybe we just need to trust in the magic of water and our words.
Water into ice, water into wine, water holding memory, water as an oak tree.
Dr Masaru Emoto’s water experiments explored an ability to change the nature water with words. Widely discredited for his lack of scientific methodology, his twenty year magnum opus was firmly placed on the pseudoscience shelf.
Sometimes, momentarily, I like to entertain a little bit of trust in his experimental aquaphilic quackery.
We inhale water, we exhale water, we carry and relocate it. Water is a constant, maybe we just need to place a little more trust in the magic of our words and water.
Desiderium (welcome home)
2021
Woven water grass doormats, native Australian plants from artist’s garden, encaustic wax, found copper wire
An old memory restlessly shifts its feet one foot to the other. impatient. unsure Landmarks feel faintly familiar
You have been here before
Sometime, not that long ago Yes. yes. you know this place
Glass, thread, yarn
140cm x 70 cm
2022
Known also by the names glasswort and beadwort, samphire is imperative in maintaining the health and longevity of our estuarine ecosystems. The ash from this extraordinary plant was once used in glass-making. It is also a richly nutritious food source. In the estuarine environment, samphire filters brackish water as it makes it journey from land to sea. The vibrantly coloured beds of samphire stabilise the water’s edge and create a safe haven for small crustaceans, an essential food source for juvenile fish.
Samphire possesses an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing water and salinity levels created by natural tidal flow but with ever-rising sea levels its adaptability is being pushed towards its limits and its long-term survival is now threatened.
This deeply worries me, I worry we have left it too late to fix. So here, with my restless and anxious hands I attempt to make a fragile salve. My samphire worry beads.
2016
240 x 220 x 80cm
gampi paper, ink, pencil, wood, Perspex, beeswax, wire,
Sauerbier house residency project 2018
‘The bees life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water.’
Karl Von Frisch (1886 - 1982)
The honey bee as I introduced into South Australia in 1839 an by the late 1800s there were around 200 beekeepers within the state, supplying the settlement withy honey and wax. With the first commercial plantings of almond trees (in 1898, in the Southern Vales town of Willunga), there came the need for honey bees to pollinate the blossoms.
The Southern Vales has a strong and continuing link with bees, beekeeping and pollination. Beehives are kept on vineyards as barometers of the health of the land and they-products sometimes used within the viticulture process. Whilst the need for pollination of almond blossom has decreased due to the reduction of almond orchards, a greater understanding of the role bees play in maintaining a healthy equilibrium in the ecosystem has arisen. Property owners are recognising the essential need to to create bio diverse environments to support bees and the greater ecosystem.
Pollination is the single most important process in the survival and continuation of most flowering plants and it is not only European honey bees which provide the invaluable service. In South Australia there are around 500 native bee species pollinating native and introduced flora.
Humans have fostered an intrinsic relationship with bee on many levels. Historically, people believed bees were messengers from the heavens. Bees have been mentioned throughout ancient texts, art history and modern verse. You only need to spend a few moments with a bee keeper to understand the intoxicating effect bees can have on a human.
The residency at Sauerbier House has allowed me to explore the evolving stories of bees, beekeeping and pollination within the Southern Vales as a valuable adjunct to time spent at the State Herbarium examining pollen from local native flora.
‘Interconnectedness is a fundamental principle of nature. Nothing is isolated. Each event connects with the others.’
Jon Kabat-Zinn
This sound work was developed to accompany the installation work 4000 Stories. Over multiple sessions lead by yoga teacher groups of people were guided through Bhramari Pranayama - Humming Bee Breath.
I acknowledge and pay respect to the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of the lands and waters on which I live and work
