Art lovers thronged an open-roof circular glass structure at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale on Sunday. Water Temple, an interactive installation at the Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi, conceived and presented by Chinese artist Song Dong, inspires visitors to use simple paraphernalia to create murals.
The workspace amid the greenery has its floor made of acrylic mirror. Inside, paint brushes are kept in water pots of different sizes and shapes. One needs to just dip the bristles in water, move the brush tip along the translucent wall in whichever way one wants for whatever time. The images keep vanishing in a short period of time.
Among the visitors were Europeans Wanda and Eric Theobald. The German pair says they noticed children and adults engrossed in animated artwork inside the structure and got curious. “Water paintings on glass! This is exhilarating, we thought,” says Eric.
“It’s so beautiful to just watch it, leave alone trying it yourself.” “Oh, no! I did paint. We both, actually,” says Wanda. “You sketch something on the wall with water…you see it going so well, and then it all dries up. The process offers a lot of perspective, too.”
Ten-year-old Siddharta Ramachandran came to the Biennale with his elder brother and their parents from Australia where they live. “This is really creative,” he says.
Arpan Ghosh, an art mediator around, is amused when he says that not many at the Water Temple bother to read about its details. “The installation is interactive, people just love spending time here,” he notes.
Praise from masters
Film-makers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shaji N. Karun and French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler visited the festival on Sunday.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that the festival had been instrumental in showcasing the newest trend in global art before people.
Mr. Karun said the Biennale created more awareness about art among people. Mr. Ziegler said gender diversity and geographical vastness of the festival were commendable.