They came up in my latest Skype conversation with Polly and as it's been a bit rainy in Adelaide this week I've started playing around with some ideas, using just what I had in my studio.
This was my first go, dropping food colouring into an already existing puddle. It completely evaporated over a couple of days (it stopped raining) and disappeared without leaving a trace.
Today I tried purple paint mixed with some water, dug a depression into the ground and made my own puddle.
I'm hoping that as it dries it will leave something behind, but I think I need stronger colouring and a different surface - concrete I think would work better.
I have also left a small puddle of paint (less watered down) on a wet patch of concrete - less like the ones above as it is a flatish surface, but a place where water has still collected. It's a bit drizzly today so I am keen to see what happens to it over time. At the moment it is slowly spreading outwards and filling all the tiny cracks beautifully - I'm hoping it will rain a bit heavier then it is currently and it will form it's own colourful patch/puddle.
Maybe this is more like an oil slick then a proper puddle?
I'm not really sure where it is going, but I'm excited by the ways in which it has me thinking.
I guess my original aim was to find a way to make a rainbow puddle but single colours seem OK for now.
I guess my original aim was to find a way to make a rainbow puddle but single colours seem OK for now.
If I can work out a way to make it leave a trace as it dried, I can fill and let it evaporate over and over with different colours to leave some rainbow remains.
I'm also thinking about ways in which I can freeze a puddle without it being below 0 degrees outside.
Polly and I discussed taking casts of existing puddles to make containers to then freeze water in, which I can then replace in the ground and allow to melt. But I'm also thinking about collecting water from puddles (once it starts raining again) and doing something with that - freezing it into a different shape maybe? Or using it in something else, I don't really know.
I'm also thinking about ways in which I can freeze a puddle without it being below 0 degrees outside.
Polly and I discussed taking casts of existing puddles to make containers to then freeze water in, which I can then replace in the ground and allow to melt. But I'm also thinking about collecting water from puddles (once it starts raining again) and doing something with that - freezing it into a different shape maybe? Or using it in something else, I don't really know.
It has been unexpectedly warm in Adelaide lately but come on winter, I need you!
Your puddle experiments excite me too Jessie. I've enjoyed seeing your photos popping up as you develop the work further. Yesterday when I drove up to CAST gallery and turned onto Tasma Street I noticed a number of pot-holes in the road. There are lots of them, all different sizes and they're actually quite beautiful. Would you like me to photograph these series of pot-hole for you Jessie?
ReplyDeleteps - I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Daily Miracle in Ulaanbaatar’. It's an incredible insight into the significance of puddles and those moments in life when you celebrate the simple things!
ReplyDeleteGreat story and work Jessie - I hope it's progressing as you want it to. It's interesting that weather can be the source of such joy and such misery, often in equal parts, or even at the same time. I tried to reply with a ridiculously long comment but Blogger won't let me, so I've added a new blogpost for it... see above!
ReplyDeleteBy the way Jessie, I think your puddle experiments are really beautiful as liquid! Is the dried mark so important? I like that they might just evapourate into nothing again - that to me is kind of magical!
DeleteNo, the dried mark is not very important at all, just something that developed out of a conversation with someone as I was making one once and so I thought it would be an interesting thing to play with. Ultimately I think I am more comfortable with them existing for just a short time and disappearing.
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