Sophie Jerram (NZ) /
”Last Gasp” (installation/intervention)
Site: Look out for the artists branded water bottles (Last Gasp/Siste Grep og Vinner) at the following places in Stavanger central : at ICA foodstore (Steen & Strøm), 7-11 at Skagen, and Narvesen at Sølvberget.

”Refined Life” (video)
Site: Public Screens, Tou Scene café

Last Gasp
The co modification of water is intimately connected with that of oil. On a superficial level, water packaging is mainly reliant on plastic polymers (byproducts of crude oil) and energy-intense factory processes. Systemically, the method of creating consumer demand for a previously-abundant resource is dependent on reliable, regular distribution to a market, sold on the notion of the resource’s scarcity.
The offer of the water label often exhorts the consumer to replenish instantly, making a fleeting reminder of the source of water through oblique or direct visual references. By offering instant refreshment it discourages the consumer from seeking and engaging with locally sourced water.

The project Last Gasp makes an appraisal of the bottled water’s commercial offer of refreshment to the end consumer by affixing a new brand to otherwise unused water bottles. In engaging with the commercial process of water marketing, it is also intended that a working relationship is developed with the point of sale vendor.

Refined Life
Using recycled film technique mixed with contemporary live action, Refined Life borrows from footage from 1956 film Giant starring James Dean and 1980s television series Dallas. Refined Life shows mechanised labour sexualised as masculine prowess.

BIO
Sophie Jerram is an artist and independent curator based in Wellington New Zealand.

Recent artistic projects include The Mud People of Tawharanui for The Tawharanui Open Sanctuary project (New Zealand March 2010), Southern Men on the Rig for The Water Show (Physics Room, Christchurch 2008), Oil on Troubled Water (Enjoy Gallery Wellington 2007).

Curatorial projects include: Kim Paton’s Free Store as part of the Letting Space series (co-curated with Mark Amery); Bombs Away (Physics Room and Adam Art Galleries 2005); Posted Love (National Library of New Zealand touring to 4 venues, 1999).

Sophie is also founder of the Now Future partnership and this year programmed with co-founder Dugal McKinnon a series of inter-disciplinary conversations between artists, business people and scientists on the subject of climate change, called Dialogues with Tomorrow.

www.nowfuture.org.nz/dialogues.
www.stealthfoundation.net
www.nowfuture.org.nz
www.lettingspace.org.nz