Upcoming Exhibitions

On display May 16, 2025 - April 30, 2026 at the Dumke Arts Plaza, 445 25th St, Ogden, UT 84401

This was water is an interactive sculpture, sound, and video installation. The sculptures are modeled after the gypsum crystals, or “dirty diamonds”, that emerge through the salty crust at the Great Salt Lake. The lake is drying up at unsustainable rates due to water consumption and climate change. As the water’s edge recedes, the clay lakebed is exposed. The crystals form in the land that misses water. The crystals form so rapidly (in geologic time) that they capture the surrounding clay and tar which muddies the transparent crystals–hence the name “dirty diamonds.”

Recent studies by Dr. Bonnie Baxter and student Paulina Martinez-Koury suggest that the crystals are teeming with microbial life. Metaphorically, Bornhoft and Campbell imagine the crystals as vestiges of the drying lake. These beautiful artifacts foretell dire consequences. Toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury also rest in the lakebed. As the lake continues to lose water, we risk the toxins becoming airborne and poisoning all living beings in proximity to the lake.

Each of the sculpture rock mounds is fitted with lidar sensors, lights, and speakers that respond to a person’s presence. Lights inside the sculptures also flicker as someone approaches. The interactive elements evoke the lively matter that animates these geological phenomena. This multimedia installation invites reflection upon our relationship with this fascinating and fragile inland sea.

This programming is generously supported by Weber County RAMP, the Mark E. & Lola G. Austad Endowment, Jack and Bonnie Wahlen, 91·çÁ÷'s Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities, Ogden City Arts, Weber Student Fees and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.