Flood, by Nathaniel Price, Photo by Yorgos Efthymiadis
The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is excited to announce the opening of a new contemporary art exhibition coming to its Overlook Gallery May 13th, 2023 entitled Reservoir: What the Water Knows. This exhibition will be on view through November 18th, 2023.
Curated by Arlinda Shtuni, Reservoir: What the Water Knows prompts us to consider our complicated relationship with water and reminds us of our interdependence with nature. Reservoirs nourish and energize our ever-expanding cities. They also safeguard us from extreme weather events and other disasters. As our need for water grows, we have found a myriad of ways to capture, divert, mix and contain free-flowing water–and store it away. Compactly designed for human use, reservoirs often seem like closed systems. Yet, the water within retains traces of the journey it has made to arrive there- dried riverbeds, drowned cliffs and submerged towns–profoundly altering and remaking habitats, ecosystems and lives in ways we may never fully know.
Reservoir: What the Water Knows presents new and freshly rendered works by six noted local artists who consider these processes as the global temperatures rise and as the demand for water intensifies and inquire: how are our water systems and our watery bodies registering and responding to these shifts? Through their artwork, they feel, listen, measure and diagnose. The outer and inner landscapes merge–freshwater flowing across the U.S. map turns into a bloodstream running through the veins and capillaries of a human body and the blue cavity of a reservoir resembles a human heart while swirls of meteorological symbols, words, punctuation marks, numbers and measurements commingle to record the signal and noise around us, and their imprint on our psyche. Participating Artists include A+J Art+Design/ Ann Hirsch and Jeremy Angier, Caitlin & Misha, Heather Kapplow, Nathaniel Price, Nancy Selvage, and Ros Zimmermann. The exhibition will also showcase a site-specific installation of soundscapes and sound acousmatic works by a group of Northeastern University music students guided by Pr. Hubert Ho.
This exhibition will be open in the Overlook Gallery during the museum’s open hours. Please note that occasionally on weekdays the Overlook Gallery may be reserved for private functions. We welcome visitors to call ahead at (617) 277-0065 to check if the exhibition will be available to view during their visit. During the exhibition’s run, check the museum’s event calendar for related programming including the Opening Reception on May 13th, a musical performance by the Dinosaur Annex Musical Ensemble on June 30th, and more.
Housed in the former Chestnut Hill High-Service Water Pumping Station for the city of Boston, the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum interprets the unique stories of Boston’s water system through educational programs and exhibits focused on engineering and safe water access, connecting its local historic narratives to present global water issues and future challenges.
Featured Image: Flood, Nathaniel Price, 2023/23″x23″x23″ Hydrostone, measuring yardsticks, glue, steel. Photo by Yorgos Efthymiadis.