Evaporation: Exhibition, Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester, UK

Exhibition Dates: 22 Oct 2015 – 15 May 2016
Venue: Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester, UK

Kovats explored the significance of our relationship with water and the world’s seas and oceans through a brand new installation ‘Evaporation’. Taking James Lovelock’s Gaia theory – of the earth as an interconnected super organism – as her starting point, this new sculptural piece explored global bodies of water. Lovelock’s work focused much attention on the significance of the planet's oceans as a barometer of its health, and how better to understand how the planet regulates itself. As global sea temperatures rise and the impact of pollution is becoming increasingly clear, this thinking and works stemming of it are more vital than ever. Kovats’ installation was comprised of three large-scale (3 x 2m), shallow, metal bowls reflecting the shape of the world’s oceans lifted from the globe. Each bowl contained a solution of salt and blue ink that gradually evaporated in a hydro-cycle, leaving a jewel-like crust of salt crystals in concentric rings. This became an object with its own tides; different each time a viewer sees it. Additional complementary works to this installation included framed sets of drawings made through an equivalent 'tidal' evaporation process, smaller ceramic works, a digital live tidal map produced by the artist, and a video which showcased her practice and process.