Bo Stiemer grew up in the Netherlands, a country proud of its ability to control water. From this
perspective, Our Mark (2026) was created. The video work connects Dutch company Boskalis’ dredging of Port Phillip Bay with this belief system about water management. Its soundscape collages language from Boskalis and the Dutch water authority promotional videos. This is paired with archival footage assembled from those videos, and underwater footage of the Bay. The visuals convey the glorification of the dredging vessels, their apocalyptic beauty, and the violence they inflict. Our Mark reflects on the colonial structures underlying Dutch international water management. Turning the propaganda back on itself, Stiemer demonstrates its destructive impact on a rivermouth on the other side of the world.
perspective, Our Mark (2026) was created. The video work connects Dutch company Boskalis’ dredging of Port Phillip Bay with this belief system about water management. Its soundscape collages language from Boskalis and the Dutch water authority promotional videos. This is paired with archival footage assembled from those videos, and underwater footage of the Bay. The visuals convey the glorification of the dredging vessels, their apocalyptic beauty, and the violence they inflict. Our Mark reflects on the colonial structures underlying Dutch international water management. Turning the propaganda back on itself, Stiemer demonstrates its destructive impact on a rivermouth on the other side of the world.
Duration:
7.5 minutes.
With sound design by Fay Arapatsani
Commissioned by Lhotse Collins for group show Rivermouth: Archiving Water at KINGS Artist-Run, in Naarm/Melbourne.
On show from October 6-11, 2026.
On show from October 6-11, 2026.
