In the epoch of the Anthropocene, Parvathi Nayar looks to the essential elements of life: air and water, to explore that which connects us all. In BreatheWater, she looks at the existence of diatoms, microscopic organisms with walls of porous glass that are found in water, especially the oceans. Diatoms contribute to the oxygen we breathe and function as a gauge of the purity of water. Nature's minuscule oxygen-creators are magnified and rendered larger-than-life in this sculptural installation that creates an enveloping environment in which the invisible is made visible. The installation references the waters that encircle the island-city of Singapore, and at a meta level, examines the issues of global warming, climate change and pollution. By drawing our attention to the invisible, BreatheWater suggests that the world is more magnificent, mysterious and interconnected than we consciously acknowledge.
The practice of Parvathi Nayar (b.1964, India) unfolds through complex and intricate drawings, video, installation, text, and photography. Her art talks about the environment, urban memory and sustainability, with water as a consistent theme. She often utilises science as a prism to excavate microscopic and macroscopic perspectives that explore her deep fascination with the philosophies of space. Nayar has participated in numerous exhibitions including Chennai Photo Biennale 3: Maps of Disquiet (2021/22), We Are Ocean by Artport_Making Waves - Marseille, Berlin, Venice, (2019-2021), DAMNed Art Show, Goethe-Institut Chennai, India (2018), Whorled Explorations, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India (2014) and Pulp Friction, Singapore Art Museum (2001). She is a founder-member of The Hashtag#Collective.
The event runs through 24 July, 2022.
Learn more at https://www.esplanade.com/festivals-and-series/visual-arts/2022/breathewater?Start=20220415.
Videos
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Sands Theatre (5/19-6/07) |
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Flipside 2026: Between the Catch and the Throw: Creating a Movement Language for Juggling Workshop Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (6/07-6/07) |
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Jesus Christ Superstar The Sands Theatre (8/19-9/06) |
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Flipside: Snakes and Ladders! Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (5/29-5/31) |
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Flipside 2026: A Simple Space Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (5/29-5/31) |
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Flipside 2026: Introduction to Contact Juggling Workshop Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (5/31-5/31) |
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Jesus Christ Superstar The Sands Theatre (8/19-9/06) |
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myles: soulmate in a box KC Arts Centre (5/13-5/31) |
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Flipside 2026: Der Lauf (The Way Things Go) Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (6/06-6/07) |
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Flipside 2026: Introduction to Unicycling Workshop Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (6/06-6/06) |
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