The Memory of Water (part 1)

United Kingdom, 2004

Video excerpt and still images on this page are provided courtesy of the artist.

Artwork

The ‘Memory of Water (part 1)’ explores Carl Jung’s notion of the ‘collective unconscious’, examining consciousness in the form of memory or perceived experience and the power of the gaze as that which mediates external phenomena. Sadia’s video explores the relationship between the drop and the ocean in terms of human experience. While the camera is trained in close up on their eyes, a series of people answer the question, “What is your most significant memory?”

The words and the eyes are played out of sync, so that one person’s voice speaks under another’s gaze. This simple device releases the memories from individual ownership, and the work becomes a gesture towards transcendence. Informed by the Jungian notion of the collective unconscious, The Memory of Water examines the gaze as a bridge between inner and outer worlds.

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How to watch

This work has been digitised but due to rights and access requirements can only be viewed onsite at ACMI over WiFi.

Collection

In ACMI's collection

Previously on display

13 February 2005

ACMI Screen Gallery

Credits

creator

Sadia Sadia

Duration

00:28:00:00

Production places
United Kingdom
Production dates
2004

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

B1006598

Subject category

Digital Art

Sound/audio

Audio Format/Stereo

Colour

Colour

Object Types

Artwork

Materials

Single channel moving image

Holdings

DVD [PAL]; Copy

DVCAM; Master

DVCAM; Sub-master

VHS [PAL]; Reference - timecoded

DVD [PAL]; Exhibition Copy

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - presentation

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - presentation

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/109650--the-memory-of-water-part-1/ |title=The Memory of Water (part 1) |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=9 October 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}