Divining
Stager + Talley

Divining is a collaborative, site-specific work, designed for and installed at Northampton Community College's Fowler Community Center, Bethlehem, PA, September 3 - October 2, 2010. The work references the notion of spiritual quest and physical need in a complicated existence that increasingly places demands on finite natural resources. The piece combines video, a newly produced version of the traditional song, Wade in the Water; large abstract photographic prints; tree branches -- some resembling dowsing rods others fashioned into a crude, lash-jointed table which supports one of the photographic images; and manufactured objects including drinking glasses and cases of single-serving packets of "Emergency Drinking Water." The installation room has been modified with subdued, indirect lighting that allows the video projection to visually modulate the overall light level in the room. Visitor who watch the video slowly become aware of details of the installation which may suggest some sort of stop-gap response to a desperate situation. The work was produced with help from Timm Ayers (scientific assistance) and Natalie Notoris (vocal on Wade in the Water).