Waterfaux

Waterfaux

Artist: Owen Smith

A transitional space between WNDR Museum and the real world, Waterfaux by Owen Smith is an alternative deconstructed simulation of a waterfall. The body lacks a sensor that can directly detect wetness, so it must rely on various inputs to infer the presence of water, such as temperature, flow, viscosity and evaporation from the skin. The concept of “wetness” is a compilation of smaller pieces of information that form a larger impression, which is usually accurate but can sometimes be mistaken, leading the body to sense water where there is none. Playing with this sensation, the exhibit features two doorways with a passage. A third threshold is introduced, made of a curtain of air and a wall of sound, which can be strange, disorienting and oddly familiar all at once. One may choose to continue through it unaffected. However, by pausing in this magical doorway, one can allow themselves to imagine and recall the power of waterfalls via the potent force of imagination.