Water (Performance)

While I was brainstorming for this project, I realized that I tend to make my artwork quite complex. There is a potential danger in complexity— the message and emotion may be lost among the layers. So this time, I had to surrender my desire to create an extravagant presentation. Instead, I created a project surrounding one subject in three phases.

Water is vital to life whether in sustenance, sanitation, or technology. Yet, we often do not stop to think about and appreciate it for what it is in three different forms— solid, liquid, and gas. Thus, I brought these three states of water into one setting, putting ice cubes in a bowl, water in three cups, and steaming water in three plates. I invited my classmates to sit in a circle around it and to pass these elements around. I invited them to breathe it in through their noses and mouths, to feel it with their hands, and to observe it with their eyes. Then I gave them freedom to mix the ice cubes, room-temperature water, and hot water together.

It was simple yet exciting. At first when we were passing it around, it seemed ritualistic, but when we started playing around – throwing around ice cubes, turning over cups, plates, pouring hot water into the ice cube bowl, drinking the water, etc. – it became more light-hearted, entertaining, and evoked child-like wonder. Lauren, one my classmates, pointed out that the cold ice-cubes smelled more fresh than the warm boiling water vapor that smelled more dense. Audrey said she felt a new sensation when soaking her hand into the bowl full of both hot water and ice-cubes.The water naturally spread far in all different directions as we can see in the image on the right.

I hope that I gave my classmates and professor a gift of using their senses to experience water for what it is in three separate phases and in fusing those together. This new awareness, I hope they will be able to take with them whenever they encounter water. Nature demands our attention in simple ways, and I am thankful that we got to enjoy water in a simple, unrestrained way. I learned that art can mean bringing consciousness and care for art that is already around us. Rather than striving for seemingly original artwork, I can breathe, be still, and embrace the creation that the Lord has designed. I also learned that impermanent art is liberating, for you know that it was meant for that particular moment in time and place with particular people. It can never be relived the same, and there is power in that. I hope to continue to create art that is selfless and honoring to those around me.