I had a dream that you were a fountain.
What appears merely to be stacks of baskets forming a rough and ready towering fountain at the Dateline gallery in Denver’s River North (RiNo) neighborhood is Sophie Lynn Morris’s I had a dream that you were a fountain. A physical display of a past relationship, the cascading structure and accompanying water system encapsulates a love affair through the confusing course, sloppy obstacles and the unrelenting flow of water one basket to the next, over, and over.
Ebbing and flowing through PVC piping, sponges and buckets, spilling over the brims of containers, running across rain gutter drain extenders, and up through a hose hung at the ceiling, Morris personifies the sensation of being in a sloppy romance.
On a wall to the left of the fountain and water system is a bar, Towel Rack, made of lids and caps, which, unexpectedly, exploded apart in the gallery one day – bringing the bottled energy to its’ fullest truth, according to the gallery owner. Far in the right corner is Moon River, an icebox holding two identically broken drinking glasses lying side-by-side on a pillow. In the foreground is an open minifridge keeping cookies ironically packaged as rations and other items, including ponchos and canteens, ready in case of an emergency. Almost unnoticeable, beside the fountain is a self-portrait – as proclaimed by the artist – in the version of shattered cups conjoined into the form of a cautionary cone.
To accompany the pieces is a poem under the same title as the exhibit, saying, “I had a dream that you were a fountain… and your supply never ran out… flowing out in all directions.” In it, Morris describes the water as “crystal clear” and the system a place of “safety.” Though frenzied and impractical, the relationship she depicts is one she returns to repeatedly.
Specializing in emerging and experimental contemporary art at 3004 Larimer Street, Dateline draws pedestrians into the almost completely camouflaged building with a sidewalk sign only showing the ambiguous title of the work on display. I had a dream that you were a fountain will be on display through Dec. 1.