In “The Waterworks,” artist and educator Jennifer Hecker explores the metaphor of “sculpting” water with bronze and glass pieces that suggest the fragility and necessity of an element that is essential for life but increasingly scarce. NASA’s Mars Rover discovery of evidence suggesting that water once flowed on that planet makes it possible to speculate that there was once life on Mars. Hecker asks: Will our own planet, with increasing droughts, pollution, and climate change, one day be as bereft of water as Mars is today? Many experts agree that we are heading toward a worldwide water crisis in the 21st Century. Whoever has water will have power. But can a country or government or corporation or individual really “own” water? “It’s all crazy to think about,” Hecker says. “That is, however, exactly what I was thinking about while ‘sculpting’ water.”
Drain Shelf No. 7, Jennifer Hecker
Drain Shelf No. 4, Jennifer Hecker
Additional resources
- Flickr: Installation images
- Jennifer Hecker – Official website