The Water, the [Delicate] Thread of Life drew to a close this month. Here's what curator, Marion Dixon had to say in reflection...

Do you think that you were successful in getting your intended message across to the viewers?

The response from visitors to the exhibition, at times highly emotional, would suggest that they came away with the view that water is much more than a physical requirement, that it is fundamental to life in all its manifestations: physically, spiritually, metaphorically and socially. Water is indeed the delicate thread of life.

Was the work easily accessible and easily understandable to those who do not necessarily possess the means to interpret works of art or visit art galleries?

Water, the [Delicate] Thread of Life, featured some 30 different artists, with artworks ranging from 'traditional' black African art used in spiritual practice to contemporary sculpture, video art, paintings and installations. It was however most gratifying to see how well visitors, including school children, responded to the different artworks and, in particular the conceptual site specific artworks such as Willem Boshoff's Walking on Water (2011), Karel Nel's, Reflective Field (2011) and Marcus Neustetter's And Yet it revolves, Galileo, Galilei (2011). With water as the common thread, it was perhaps also easier to make a reading of the artworks on show.

The exhibition aims to enlighten the public about the fragility of our natural resources, are you aware of any initiatives around this issue - to preserve and protect our resources that have been undertaken by the Standard Bank Art Gallery and other sponsors of the exhibition?

Standard Bank implemented a comprehensive water awareness programme for its employees that began prior to the exhibitions opening, and a range of other initiatives, including an advertising campaign that ran concurrent with the exhibition. The responsible management of water resources is also a very topical subject and the exhibition received considerable media coverage on radio, television and the print media. There were no other sponsors of the Water exhibition other than Standard Bank.

What inspired you to interpret the exhibition in the manner that you did?

During the early stages of the research process I realised that the preservation, management and nurturing of the planet's vital water resources was essential far beyond the necessity of clean drinking water. It is vital to provide water to all human life on earth and to the more than one billion people who do not have access to clean water, without harming other life forms on earth. But water is far more than that; it is also the concept that links us with the idea of life.

What ultimately inspired the curatorial vision of Water, the [Delicate] thread of life, was again coming across Deborah Bell's Crying Pots (1998) and realising that water is even the substance of tears, a peculiarly human and primordial response to emotion.

Was there any specific reason for commissioning only certain artists to produce site-specific work for the exhibition?

Many artists were invited to participate and in many instances artists had work suitable for the exhibition. The artists who specifically wanted to created artworks for the exhibition were prepared to do so at their own expense.

How did you go about brainstorming for the exhibition, what was your original brief and how much freedom were you given in your response to it?

The brief was to come up with a concept for an exhibition focusing on water and the environment - and a name for the exhibition. If my proposal met with the approval of the gallery, I was to curate the exhibition. As curator I was given the freedom to choose the artists and artworks that met with my curatorial vision, and apart from costly practical or logistical considerations, I was given complete creative freedom.

How long did it take you to put this exhibition and the accompanying catalogue together?

Standard Bank originally approached me in March 2010, but due to the World Cup 2010 I was only able to present the concept in August last year. Then the project was put on hold until December 2010. Being the eternal optimist, I continued to work on the exhibition as best I could and I was given the go-ahead early in December - but that meant that many contacts and artists were having a year-end break. The project went full steam ahead from about mid-January 2011, the copy for the catalogue was written and edited in a very short time and handed in mid-April for layout, reproduction and finally printing of the catalogue. The final list of artworks with lender details was submitted on 15 May 2011.

You have put together an inspiring and very creative response to the general theme of water and the interconnectivity of it to all of Creation. Have you got any thoughts on how we as individuals could change or alter the current dire predictions related to the global environmental catastrophe that we have created?

The effects of climate change, the uneven distribution of water resources and the lack of clean water is a global problem and it requires a global effort to preserve and nurture life in all its forms on planet earth. It also requires each and every individual to value every drop of water and to respect one of the most miraculous substances on earth: water.