Ephemeral Works 2005―2008

Ephemeral Works 2005―2008 is a photographic archive of installations by Claire Watson. Here, the viewer is invited to trace threads of continuity in the early experimental works of a young and adventurous artist. Whilst the photographs may at first glance appear to be vastly divergent, we see upon closer inspection a sincere engagement with particular themes. In Watson’s work there is a tendency to reach beyond the traditional contexts of exhibiting, so that very few pieces are installed in conventional gallery spaces. There is also a persistent fascination with the transitory nature of existence, often reflected in perishable materials used within the artwork. Finally, we see a desire to arouse awareness of the immediate environment, whether it be a forest in Helsinki, the shores of the Black Sea or Sydney Road in Brunswick, Melbourne.

Throughout her career Watson has developed fresh perspectives by reconsidering simple daily interactions. In each of her works she focuses on an isolated experience, such as the choice of a jellybean or the purchase of a pineapple, and constructs an aesthetic meditation on its basis. Four of the images exhibited here feature the jellybean as a subject, chosen by Watson for its capacity “to highlight the subjective nature of choice”.¹ In an installation at Bus Gallery, perspex tubes are mounted upon the walls in a way that mimics the presentation of sweets at a lolly shop. Nearby, small clusters of jellybeans are isolated according to colour. In a related video work, Watson carefully removes all the jellybeans of a particular colour from a mound of mixed beans with an air of scientific precision. The group of works thus concentrate on the surprisingly confirmed preferences many people harbour concerning their favourite colour of jellybean.

Pineapples for Piscina is a tropical scene inspired by the manner in which pineapples are nowadays presented on the supermarket shelf. In an absurdist gesture reminiscent of Mikala Dwyer², blue pineapple heads lie intermingled with various plastic objects, all of which bear an instant association with seaside leisure activities. Sand is strewn on the floor and a bright blue tarpaulin forms a backdrop across the wall. The artist describes how, “combining themes of fishing and pineapples, a symbolic language was formed that attempted to chronicle my effort to fish for meaning as both a consumer and an artist”.³ The abandoned pineapple heads serve to represent our dislocated relationship with the natural world. This lack of ecological attunement is highlighted by the juxtaposition of the pineapple heads with the powerfully synthetic look of the objects we use in water: items such as kickboards, fishing equipment and pool hosing.

Beyond Watson’s delight in the absurd lies a fascination with the contrast between the inherent order of nature and the order imposed by humanity. There is a consistent use of natural materials as part of the artist’s palette: we see the juxtaposition of jellybeans against snow and grass, the beach used as a backdrop for a portrait of Harold Holt and sand strewn upon the gallery floor in Pineapples for Piscina. Rather than pillaging nature for the purposes of aesthetic contemplation, the artist displaces natural materials in a way that mirrors the manner in which humanity purposefully tinkers with patterns of life.

The artist recently undertook a residency in Finland, where she created several installations inspired by the local staple foods: potatoes and cabbages. In a spectacular outdoor intervention entitled Epiphyte, Watson grafted 25 cabbages to birch trees. The contrast of heavy round objects against the thin vertical tree trunks creates a jarring visual effect which recalls the installations of ping pong balls by Nike Savvas.⁴ The merging of disparate natural materials alludes to developments in genetic engineering, but also mimics our everyday encounters with the urban landscape, where we often see plants from vastly diverse origins cultivated side by side. In Transporter, the scene is strangely reminiscent of both a scientific laboratory and a religious shrine. Blue painted potatoes, at times inserted with thermometers or light globes, are positioned on the floor and on a pane of mirrored glass. Here we are prompted to consider both the fixation with measurement that underpins scientific enquiry, and the obsession with the “use value” of things which provides its ground.

Regardless of materials, in all of Watson’s works we see a tendency to incorporate the immediate environment. In an empty building on the busy shopping strip of Sydney Road⁵, we see “images taken from within and around the actual site” placed within ducting to create viewing portholes.⁶ The tubular portals in Conduit disrupt the viewer’s spatial orientation in a way that the surrounding architecture and signage becomes more apparent. In a piece which the artist describes as her most autobiographical, Watson has plastered a billboard with the slogan “Claire Watson, Emerging Artist”.⁷ Here, the act of becoming an artist is presented as a corporate venture which blends in with the surrounding advertising signage.

Claire Watson is happy to make the world her studio. This is affirmed by the artist in code form, in a text piece installed in Turkey in 2005. Drawn from the poetry of the 13th century Turkish poet Mevlana, it reads:

Bir dahaki sefere, okyanus!
Sonsuza dek evim olacak.

Next time, the ocean!
I’ll make the infinite my home…⁸

Jane O’Neill
July 2008

Published by: Counihan Gallery, Moreland City Council
Exhibition Dates: 24 October – 16 November 2008