Fountain

This work originated from working in a ceramics workshop. A device there that particularly fascinated me was the extruder, a simple press in which clay is squeezed through various moulds; think of it as a pasta maker for clay. Working with different coloured clays (white, red and brown, in this case) I made tubes that looked very much like garden hose. After baking the clay it turned out that air bubbles had created holes here and there - the garden hoses were leaky. I connected this to a fond memory - real or imagined - of seeing a garden hose lying in the grass in the garden in summer; a late afternoon sun illuminating a tiny spray of golden water drops arcing out of a small hole in the hose. A lot of experimentation followed to figure out how to make this happen and then to figure out a pleasing ‘schedule’ for the fountain - always-on is boring after a while. I figured out (as with the previous work Instrument) that the balance between activity and inactivity is very important. I find the sound of water dripping, after the pumps switch off, one of the most pleasing aspects of the work.