COLLABORATIVE WORK | Victoria Hempstead & Bernadette Murray
Eternal Gaze
single channel video | 2020
12m x 8cm | installed at 80 Collins St Melbourne until 2023
It is said that humans are able to watch three things endlessly; fire burning, water flowing and the movement of people. Whether or not this statement is true or absolute, it is undeniable that everyone has been caught at one point or time in this gaze.
Eternal Gaze overlays the visual elements of water with the bright tones of fire, creating a hypnotic abstract video piece that combines Bernadette Murray’s distinct digital art aesthetic with Hempstead’s ephemeral steel based practice. This body of work is currently being projected via a portrait sized screen (measuring 12m high x 8m wide) at 80 Collins St in Melbourne’s CBD. The movement of passers-by completes the final aspect of the three hypnotic elements.
Whether viewed for 6 seconds or 15 minutes, the piece aims to overtake the body and connect the viewer with a deep sense of warmth, tranquility and belonging. Most importantly, the piece hopes to leave an imprint, calling viewers back to bathe in the warm visual shower of Eternal Gaze.
To view the full-length video please click here.
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The artists wish to acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, on which this artwork resides. The artists acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, and pay their respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continued connection to the land, waters and culture.
