The Hourglass

Earth is stricken by a disease: water pollution. This crisis is experienced all over the world from one degree to another and here in South Africa, we are losing the battle against water pollution. There are South Africans that face the stark reality of water contamination on a day-to-day basis, and there are a lucky few who are so unaffected by it that they don’t even realize the scope of the problem. Often, the affluential people who could tip the scales in our favor in the war against water pollution aren’t affected by the water crisis and, as a result, don’t work towards change out of ignorance. The goal of The Hourglass is to create an emotional experience that will make everyone aware of water pollution and of the responsibility that we all have in fixing the problem on an individual and societal level using South Africa’s crisis as an example of the reality that the world has to confront.

Light is an essential tool in creating an experience as it connects the person to their surroundings. Light falls on the space and in turn, falls on the viewer, tying the viewer to the space. Light also has the ability to create an atmosphere. The different lighting effects can intensify how a user is tied to a space depending on how they are employed and light is used in The Hourglass to immerse the viewer.

An atmosphere is created in The Hourglass with the effects of light and water as the tools of design. Looking up, you see silt and filth in the water contrasted against the South African sky, and you feel the warm sun rays fall on you and on the clear pools of water on the ground that are being gradually being soiled around you. You exist within an hourglass that counts down to the death of our country and planet.The Hourgass is an experience designed to incite a feeling of connectedness to our water problem while you helplessly watch as time drips away as the landscape is ruined before your eyes . By its nature, The Hourglass is a space that can only exist once which is an intentional decision to further emphasise the urgency of the water crisis.

The concept is to create an environment that mimics the water crisis that humanity faces. A make-shift river bed will be made using piles of sand and gravel to walk across and a large plastic bag filled with clean local dam water that has been intentionally mixed with mud to represent pollution will be suspended above the street. The plastic bag will then be hung over lines of fishing gut to create a bubble-like effect which shall create a similar caustic effect on the ground that water does on the bottom of a river bed. Certain bags above the clean water on the ground will then be slightly punctured so that the dirty water leaks slowly into the clean water below. The atmosphere created by mixing light, water, and the metaphorical representation of the problem is designed to immerse the viewer and emotionally affect them to the point that they feel personally responsible for the resolution of the water crisis.

The location for the project is Keyes Avenue (often referred to as The Keyes Art Mile) which is located in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Rosebank is an area in Johannesburg located near a few water bodies, such as Emmarentia Dam, Zoo Lake, and The Braamfontein Spruit. The area also has a wide variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants scattered throughout it which are frequented by mostly those in the middle/upper class, making it an ideal location for The Hourglass as it increases the chances of gaining attention from affluential people who have the money and resources to help in our struggle against water pollution. The locals will also already have a relationship with water bodies to a certain degree because of their exposure to them, and are more likely to be accepting of a dramatic and creative approach to addressing world problems due to their current experience of arts-related establishments at the site such as the Circa Art gallery and BKhz.