Ogden
May 16, 2025 – April 30, 2026
Public Opening: Friday, May 16 (6-8 p.m.)
On view at Dumke Arts Plaza, This was water is an interactive installation that combines sculpture, sound, and video to reflect on the precarious state of the Great Salt Lake. Created by artists Kellie Bornhoft and Carey Campbell, the work draws inspiration from the gypsum crystals—or “dirty diamonds”—that rapidly form on the lakebed as water recedes. These striking forms, filled with clay and tar, serve as both scientific marvels and ominous symbols of ecological collapse.
Recent research by Dr. Bonnie Baxter and Paulina Martinez-Koury has revealed microbial life within these crystals. In this installation, they are reimagined as sentient witnesses to the lake’s disappearance. Each sculptural mound responds to human presence using lidar sensors, flickering lights, and responsive sound, activating a haunting dialogue between visitors and the land itself.
Situated in a region directly impacted by the lake’s desiccation, This was water invites urgent reflection on environmental fragility, embodied geology, and our collective future.
Dumke Arts Plaza
445 25th St, Ogden, UT 84401
Free and open to the public, outdoors year-round
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Categories: Exhibitions | Exhibitions To the North
