Alison Clouston & Boyd

Body of Water
polypipe + fittings, rubber, wood, hydrophones, headphones, batteries + cable approx 20m x 20m

Water moves through our bodies and the landscape in a network of creeks, veins, rivers, and arteries. "Body of Water" allows us to eavesdrop on the secret hydrology of the river as well as our own bodies which are at least 70% water.

Visitors were invited to try on the headphones provided at the coracles, or circular boats, drawn up on the creek bank at Undercliff winery, and listen through the hydrophone – a microphone under the water and then place the on-land hydrophone on their own belly and listen. The resulting soundscape contained the mysterious sounds and signs of life and health in body and water – the clicks and squeaks of turtles, tadpoles or freshwater invertebrates, and the strange and funny music of the human innards. The flotilla of small vessels carries the hydrophone out to the depths of the water: Like us, adrift, and vulnerable to the currents of change.

Alison and Boyd conducted a Greenhouse emissions audit on the presentation of "Body of Water" at Sculpture in the Vineyards in 2007, with the full report published in the exhibition catalogue as an integral part of the completed work. I have included as an example the ways in which they offset emissions for SinV and previous projects based on the results of the audit.

SinV Offset cost: A $100 donation to Get Up towards an advertising campaign urging people to consider the policy on climate change of candidates in the forthcoming federal election.

Offset cost for previous projects: For the construction of "World Tree" for Goulburn Regional Gallery showing $82.50 was paid to www.climatefriendly.com for an accredited green power project, in this case a Turkish wind farm. 20% of this money is used for administration. For the Sydney University showing we decided to donate $100 to the Alternative Energy Association International Projects Group to undertake a solar system upgrade for the Soibada Orphanage in East Timor. This upgrade will enable the orphanage to replace the use of diesel fuel power generation with solar. www.ata.org.au

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