Caroline Hammat
Beachport’s Pool of Siloam received national recognition recently as the site of the award winning video artwork Witness.
South Australian artist Ida Sophia won the prestigious $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize with her 12 minute 12 second long video filmed in a single take at the lake in early spring 2022.
Eight crew members, including the artist, arrived at the site just before the sun rose and Witness was performed for about 30 minutes at dawn.
“It was intensely cold,” Ms Sophia said.
“We were prepared with wetsuits, blankets, hot tea, heaters in the car and a safety officer on site throughout the shoot, as hypothermia was a risk.
“Working in the cold and in water can be very dangerous so we took precautions to ensure every member’s safety.
“The pool was very beautiful, calm and still before dawn break.
“It felt special and the light that emerged as we began to shoot was worth getting up so early for.”
Ms Sophia was born in Mount Gambier, lived there as a child and spent her childhood swimming in the lake.
At age seven, she moved to Adelaide.
The video is inspired by the artist’s experience of witnessing her father’s profound baptism in a Mount Gambier church at age eight.
Being invited to witness the moment had a deep impact on Ms Sophia as a child and her own devoutness.
The video begins with the artist being dunked in the lake by collaborating artist Michael Schaefer.
It grows in intensity as the underwater plunging continues, it is relentless, and the artist’s exhaustion is felt as the work progresses.
The constant camera movement by director of Photography, Claire Bishop, was created by fashioning a buoyant pillow for the camera to float on as she moved through the water towards the pair.
An underwater hydrophone and directional microphone were used to capture the natural sounds both above and below the water during the performance.
These recordings formed the foundation of the sound composition by the artist’s husband, Joseph James Francis.
“I had a clear brief for the sound to make the viewer feel physically affected by the relentlessness of it.
“Joseph and I worked with the ideas and he used to great effect, the collected sounds, synthesisers, and samples to create an atmosphere that is so immersive and visceral.
Witness was conceived and developed during a residency at Post Office Projects in Port Adelaide in late 2021 and took about 12 months to complete.
“From there, I began writing grant applications, forming the crew, planning, testing and site visits to Beachport,” Ms Sophia said.
“After the shoot, we had a period of post production editing and collaboration on the sound composition.
“The idea and the location choice were more or less simultaneous.
“I always knew it would be there.
“In my practice, I believe that every element of a work must be meaningful, so, locating the work at the Pool Of Siloam made sense both personally and conceptually to the idea.”
Ms Sophia has been a practicing artist for five years and during this time has exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Through dedication to her career and studio practice the artist has embraced international training and mentorships including a period at The Marina Abramovic Institute in Greece.
Wattle Range Council is acknowledged in the film’s credits but Chief Executive Officer Ben Gower and Mayor Des Noll were unaware of the project until the winner was announced.
“This whole thing came as a complete surprise to me, I had no knowledge of it at all but it is wonderful news,” Mr Gower said.
“Absolutely, it was a surprise” Mayor Noll said.
“Beachport is a beautiful place and people come there for all sorts of different reasons
“Obviously she is an artist that excels in her work and was successful in winning the prize.”
Council approval to film at the site was applied for and approved in 2022 before filming began.
The biennial acquisitive Ramsay Art Prize is open to Australian artists under the age of 40 working in any medium.
It aims to support and encourage contemporary Australian artists to make their best work at a pivotal moment in their career.
Witness can be viewed at The Art Gallery of South Australia as part of the Ramsay Art Prize exhibition until August 27.
