Elizabeth Ogilvie, Bodies of Water, Work in Progress 2005. Courtesy of the artist.
Jem Charleston took a break from the festive scene to take in a show that’s all about calm.
At this busy time of year there is nothing we require more than a bit of peace and quiet. Bodies Of Water by Elizabeth Ogilvie is on show at Dundee Contemporary Arts until February 12 2006 and provides just the thing for any of us burnt out after a hectic few weeks of shopping and celebrating.
Water has been Ogilvie’s main medium and research focus for the last 10 years and in this show she attempts to bring the viewer closer to the fundamental matter.
“To carry out your vision to a tee - absolutely - is hard to achieve in most spaces, but I feel I’ve managed to do it here,” she explained.
This is truly a high accolade for any gallery but Ogilvie, along with a dedicated and professional gallery team, has transformed the space into an environment never seen before in its six-year history.
In her most ambitious installation to date, Ogilvie uses music, architecture, video, light and water to create a breathtaking display.
“The DCA has superb architecture and its elements are so minimal that it gives the artist the opportunity to create the perfect artwork, where the space isn’t imposing on the work,” she said. “I’m very pleased, the staff here have been very supportive. The installation was problematic in places, but they were so enthusiastic and encouraged me to take risks.”
The DCA has been transformed to host the current exhibition. Courtesy Dundee Contemporary Arts.
And these risks have certainly paid off. The visitor is introduced to Ogilvie’s fascination with water in Gallery two, which acts as a portal to the main installation.
The space contains three projection screens and shows the results of Ogilvie’s collaboration with Taiko drummer, Joji Hirota.
Hirota plays percussion on the left-hand screen whilst Ogilvie drops pebbles and gravel into the water in front of her to make ripples on the right. The result is a close-up of the surface of the water on the centre screen, accompanied by Hirota’s rhythms.
The viewer can therefore choose whether to observe the origins of the creation, or the finished result. The soothing and calming reflections of the water even play on the glossy gallery floor below the projection screen, and the effect is quite mesmerising.
“We collaborated in my studio and worked out a whole sequence of events,” explained Ogilvie. “Joji was watching the water and I was creating the movements on the surface so we were both responding to each other. It was a kind of cyclical event, cause and effect.”
It seems this work not only explores the calming and tranquil side of water, it also conveys its tempestuous nature. When the ripples become more feverish, the rhythm does too. It demonstrates how spectacular water can be while reminding us of its destructive nature.
Nothing, however, can prepare the visitor for the main attraction. Gallery one houses two pools surrounded by a raised wooden platform.
There is a real feeling of serenity in this space, but mind your feet as you enter; the water in the first pool is still and extremely dark. Only the momentary reflections on its surface from the projection screen above betray its presence.
This first pool offers an opportunity for contemplation while a series of water shapes are projected on to a large screen and are mirrored in the dark waters.
Elizabeth Ogilvie, Bodies of Water, Work in Progress 2005. Courtesy of the artist.
Vortexes swirl and bubble above the calm still matter below and, looking around at the shaded figures lit by stray shafts of light, one might be forgiven for thinking the gallery had been turned into an underground swimming pool.
The second pool on the far side of the gallery is more active as a cycle of water events takes place. The accompanying lighting captures the various movements of the waves and shows the diverse effects water is capable of creating.
“What I’m trying to demonstrate to people is the nature of water - to look at it again, not just as a cleaning fluid, but as part of us and part of our environment and how wonderful it is,” Ogilvie said.
“Part of the whole problem we have today, internationally, is that we have unnatural things happening - like ice caps melting - and we really have to start taking care of the environment.”
Ogilvie also encourages visitors to create their own water and light effects in one of the smaller rooms off the main gallery space. In a small interactive pool visitors can experiment with patterns and rhythms.
All in all, this exhibition is a spectacular visual and emotional experience.
“This is the way I approach the subject matter of water. By saying look at how beautiful, how amazing, how fantastic it is. It has its own life force and it is part of our lives,” Ogilvie enthused.
“We are already very short of it - the whole subject is very politically charged. There’s a lot to say there, but it’s such a big subject, sometimes you have to start in a modest way.”
