Making rain???

 Rain, rain, rain…. Namibia has not seen this much continuous rain in many years. I even hear some Namibians whispering softly, with guilty and apologetic looks, that maybe now it is enough rain… Too much of a good thing, is maybe also not that good. Even with flooding in the north, huge potholes in the roads and a yearning for some familiar sun and warmth, we dare not break the lucky spell by complaining. In Namibia we always want and need rain, we have seen too many droughts, been tormented with heat, water rations and desertification.

That is what I thought last year in May, when I was pondering about a motive for my next artwork: “In Namibia we always want and need rain.” It was a hot and sunny early afternoon at the Waterberg. My boyfriend and I were hiking on the mountain slope of the Waterberg Wilderness Lodge and I wanted to do a spontaneous site-specific (temporary) installation. So the easy solution was to make an image of a cloud and then to let it rain. Thought and done, this is how the “Rainmaker” artwork came into being. View more images here.

For some time I am contemplating the power of manifestation through art (either through music, dance, words or images) like for instance the “Rain Dance” preformed by many tribes for centuries and sadly often ridiculed and slowly being forgotten. What if the energy, which is set free through the creation of art – in whatever physical manifestation – is indeed a power much greater than we can imagine. And what if we can use art to manifest things we desire, like peace, love, happiness, health, wealth and…. rain?

And slowly I am wondering if it might have anything to do (in a small part) with the good rains which we are experiencing? And maybe the power of art is much bigger than even I could imagine? Which, if true, brings me to the even more important consideration: Be careful what you wish for…. because it might (or will?) come true.

I hope to still share much more with you on the subject of “manifestation through art” in the future, as it is an ongoing interest (and experiment) of mine.

By the way, the Waterberg Wilderness Lodge is a unique and extremely beautiful lodge, well worth a visit. The chalets are amazing, but for the budget traveler, they also have camping facilities available at a much cheaper cost then at NWR’s campsites next door (who additionally to the camping site charge entrance and vehicle fees etc.)

(As if to proof a point, it just started raining, AGAIN….)