My Puddle
2006, video
Sentinel Post
2006, oregon pine, fluorescent lights, plywood
Filmed while visiting the location of Samuel Butler’s novel Erewhon, Robert Hood’s My Puddle captures the beauty and remoteness of Canterbury’s high country. The mountainous vista, reflected obliquely in a rain puddle, shimmers as the wind caresses the surface of water. This natural visual phenomenon creates a dreamy, otherworldly image and presents a possible portal into a mysterious parallel landscape. Its melancholy sound track, ‘My rifle, pony and me’ sung by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, accentuates the loneliness of the pioneer cowboy as he journeys across the range.
Situated atop the entrance to the car park at the front of the Gallery, Sentinel Post evokes the elevated turrets and battlements used in warfare. The architectural structure, perfectly proportioned upon its giant plinth, is inspired by computer-generated environments and matrixes found in sophisticated online virtual realities and games. It also alludes to the temporary, yet elaborate, sets built for stage and film, such as in Werner Herzog’s epic movie Fitzcarraldo (1982) in which a stage set is transported across the Peruvian jungle. Closer to home, the work references Butler’s novel Erewhon and the notion of an alternative utopia.
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