BERNI SEARLE

VAPOUR

Used but in good condition.

Berni Searle's Vapour was shot on location on the Cape Flats and is inspired by the practice of cooking in large pots over open fires. This event is a point of departure for Searle's exploration of notions of collectiveness and community. By replacing food with water, the work is set up as performative and through it Searle explores the significance of the ritual but also of her own memories. Creating vapour, from which the exhibition draws its title, requires a huge amount of pressure or heat that builds up over a period of time, but once created dissipates into air and is difficult to capture. Through this process Searle could allude to events that have shaped our past and continue to inform our present.

Published by Michael Stevenson | Catalogue 5, February 2004
Softcover, 22 pages