WOMEN'S CAUCUS FOR ART - COLORADO CHAPTER

The Color of Water

Detail

This collaboration brought together a photographer, Susann Gordon, and a physicist, Timothy Schneider. Susann's primary tools are her camera and her discerning eye, which were used in this study to explore and capture the various states and moods of water. Tim uses scientific tools, such as mathematical models and radars, to study the Earth's climate and hydrologic processes.

In the early stages of our collaboration, we shared politics, coffee and food. But we quickly focused on a subject of great importance to both of us, WATER. Water is a common theme in Susann's art and is central to the science pursued by Tim. It is the essential ingredient for life on Earth. It shapes the landscape and informs our humanity. Water is a form of art in its own right: we remind you of the dynamic shapes of clouds, the delicate filigree of ice crystals and the dance of rivers.

The initial discussions about the theme of our project progressed rapidly through a sequence of ideas that included thunderstorms; seasons (a surrogate notion for the transformation of water between its various familiar phases: vapor-liquid-ice); and light and water. This last theme was especially viable because light is the medium of the photographer and water is our subject. It cannot be escaped.

But all of the early ideas were essentially efforts to get our minds around the colossal, and even mystical concept of water. We have attempted to capture its beauty, its dynamic nature, and its importance using photographic images, words, stone, and water itself. And in the process we have tried to make a statement about humanity's relationship with nature through its perception of water as just another resource to be consumed and taken for granted.

From the beginning, Loren Eiseley provided us with something of a manifesto. In his essay The Flow of the River (The Immense Journey, 1957) he wrote, "If there is magic in this planet, it is contained in water." Leonardo Da Vinci inspired us to incorporate words into our imagery. And so, to the longer version of this passage, Tim added four original poems to accompany Susann's imagery.

The idea for the Inuksuk, an Inuit word meaning 'to act in the capacity of a human', came to us late in the project. An Inuksuk is a figure built of stone, often taking on human-like forms. Our Inuksuk reminds us that we are of the Earth. It is standing in water to remind us that what is done unto water is done unto us.

We talked often about the aesthetic beauty of nature, and how science can add another dimension to that beauty. This was a most fascinating aspect of the collaboration and one that is difficult to convey. Like water, our process was dynamic to the very end. We hope you enjoy the results. Even more so, we hope our creation will encourage you to reflect on your views of the world and the waterborne forces that shape it.

We Live On A Fragile Planet

And though it is stating the obvious, it often seems overlooked that it is the only one we've got. Intrinsic to this planet, called Gaia by some and Mother Earth by others, is water. Indeed, it is easy to believe that water is the spirit and soul of the Earth. We hope that these images and words convey to you how essential and magical water is to the existence of Gaia, of which we are an integral part. Gaia is robust and the restorative properties of water are strong. Thus, IF we permit, Mother Earth will heal herself and all will flourish. Water is the bearer of hope.

"If there is magic in this planet, it is contained in water. It's substance reaches everywhere; it touches the past and prepares the future: It moves under the poles and wanders thinly in the heights of the air. It can assume forms of exquisite perfection in a snowflake, or strip the living to a single shining bone cast up by the sea."
- Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)

Midwife to the Afterlife
Kiss of water
Gift of life
And when we die
Separates our souls
From living strife
In spirit rivers borne of sky
-Timothy Schneider

Water As Dancer
Surely, water was the first dancer…
Rivers gracefully pirouette then leap
A ballet with rocks, observed by an elf
Lakes, a glittering dance in sun
Moved by the music of wind and self
Oceans tumble to shore in
Choreographed precision
Clouds eternally prescribe, the ever
Modern dance envisioned
The unseen? It is hard to say, but perhaps
A shadow dance and magic
-Timothy Schneider

Inuksuk
Desiccated remains
Standing resolute
Waiting
Waiting
For the liquid dancer
To return and impart
The gift of animation
-Timothy Schneider

Water: Self Portrait
Ephemeral tendril
Connecting the inanimate
To that which lives
With eternal bonds that
Will not let go
Yet parting and reforming
Without effort when,
Some misguided soul
Tries to seize them
-Timothy Schneider