Brian Collier: Earth and Water
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Collier’s Some Properties of Water: Phase Two, Evaporation (2003) lyrically celebrates water. The installation is made up of 81 framed digital prints of the locales from which he sampled water; the 81 tubes he used to hold the samples, arrayed in three cases on the floor; and a grid of 81 glass-bottomed trays into which he poured the water. With evaporation, each sample has left different patterns in the tray–some wispy, others composed of solid sediment. These physical residues not only document the nature of each sample but record time’s passing.
Each digital print is a triptych. At the left is a photo Collier took of the site; these vary from puddles to swamps to patches of snow to a drainage pipe to indoor sink taps. In the middle is a text that names the place, describes the collection method, and includes the water’s temperature, appearance, and smell (“slight odor of chlorine”). At the right is a topographic map marking the sampling point. While Collier’s photos are visually interesting, what’s most compelling is how each element of the installation expands one’s awareness of the others. The patterns in the trays give resonance to the empty tubes that once contained “clear” water, as many prints describe it. The maps and texts provide a context not easy to convey in photographs.
