THE STATE WE’RE IN WATER: Constructing a Sense of Space in the Hydrosphere By Skylar Smith
Mixed media installation by Marguerite Perret with porcelain slip cast, molded and ceramic burnout specimens of debris found along fresh waterways and lakes. Photo credit: Phil Shockley
Definition of fluid: 1a: having particles that easily move and change their relative position without a separation of the mass and that easily yield to pressure: capable of flowing b: subject to change or movement 2: characterized by or employing a smooth easy style 3a: available for various uses Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “fluid,” accessed September 1, 2020, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fluid
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The State We’re In Water: Constructing a Sense of Space in the Hydrosphere, is not only an exhibition opening August 24, at the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art in Stillwater, but a new, interdisciplinary foray into building connections between art and science, students and professionals, and a museum with its local community through a medium that affects all life on Earth: water. The topic itself is broad and nimble, representative of global challenges while firmly grounded in examples found in the region and presented through a multi-media model that is equally fluid. Installation elements on display are as diverse as artfully adapted-scientific models, photographs of water in kaleidoscopic detail or shots taken by drones flying above that capture people immersed in lakes printed on metallic panels that glitter, glint, and brim
with life, to video content captured and edited with the desire to maximize a viewer’s selfreflective relationship with water. From its inception, this exhibition has been a multi-layered, communal effort. The OSUMA staff contacted a trio of artists whose works focus on socially- and scientifically-engaged topics: Marguerite Perret, who has served as lead artist on the project, Robin Lasser, a featured artist working in multimedia and photography, and Bruce Scherting, an exhibition designer. This threesome then worked to create surveys and lead a town hall meeting in order to hear what faculty, students, and local community members wanted to know more about. This initial ask led to a smaller exhibition in 2019 Katherine Hair’s whimsical, deerthe sculptures entitled, Washed Up. Latertowering that year, are made from discarded and recycled branches.
