01. Mike Crudge

Photograph slideshow
Duration: c. 1:00’

This . . . is a visual catalogue of my drinks through Lent which helped me to ponder about Jesus several times each day.

The full video

Selected photos

Mike's talk from the Opening Night. Artists Talk About Their Work.
Wednesday 19 March 2008, 7:00-8:30pm, in the Gallery Space.


Facilitated by Sandra Atkins.

Mike Crudge: I kept a log of everything I drank through Lent.  So from the start of Lent I just carried a camera around and took a photo of every drink that I had, so its five weeks of drinking.  It wasn’t so much for what you see now but for the process of Lent . . . If you imagine if every time you have a drink you’ve got to pause for a second, pull out your camera, and take a photo of it.  That for me made me ponder what this is about. Why I chose “I’m thirsty.” Because it matched the content of what I was taking a photo of. But I could have chosen anything. The point is I had to stop for eight or ten times day and it made me just think. Sometimes I just took the photo. Other times I wanted to spend a few minutes thinking about it.  But then other time it felt like an inconvenience.  Since I’ve stopped taking photos of everything I drink it is weird because I kind of still think about it.  It was such a habit, five weeks of taking photos before I have a drink. Now I stop and ponder and I think I’ve learned what from it is not so much a revelation about ‘I’m thirsty’, or what that might mean, but the fact that it’s good for me to stop and pause regularly, to think about, to make you ponder about Jesus and other things.  To try to make it a bit more of an interactive thing I’ve . . . [?]
It’s about a minute long, a third of it is black, as you would have seen, and its just got the quote from Jesus down here but then a question, “and you?” So I’m hoping that that might draw some of you into it, and help you find it yourself ‘cause obviously you’re not going to have five weeks of taking photos.  And just when I was standing at the back before. It’s almost out of place in this exhibition because its distracting, it’s got movement, I don’t think there’s anything else here that does. And so I kind of like that. It’s a distraction for me. Maybe it’s a distraction a bit for the viewers that wander past and have a look.

Sandra: About the physical nature . . . the physical thirst side of things, and the way that this depicts the enormous variety of drinks that we have available to us. Which is quite different to need, and I wonder in that process of pondering each time you stopped for a drink, how that’s led to you seeing your spirit?

Mike: In a way I’ve found it hard to . . . Like, when Jesus said “I’m thirsty” I reckon he was just thirsty. Like he just wanted a drink, and so . . . he was probably thirsty right?  And so firstly I don’t think I ever get thirsty, when I need a drink I have a drink, I was surprised at how much water I drink, but then we do imply a spiritual thirst in the metaphor as well, but at the end of the day I didn’t get particularly moved by the thought of being spiritually thirsty, because I’m in a good space a the moment. 

Sandra: Well Jesus might just have been thirsty!

Mike: Yeah, he might just have been thirsty.

[From the floor]: I would have thought you would have drunk more beer than that!
[laughter]

Mike: An interesting thing . . .

[From the floor]: Did you edit it . . . ?
[laughter]

Mike: No!  An interesting thing when . . . Every couple of days I’d download the camera, I’d just put it together on the computer and I’d remember times that I was with people or at certain places, like there’s a Cityside communion cup in here, there’s a cup of tea I had standing over there one morning after the service, different people, different places, and that itself means kind of . . . You know, its only been five weeks, but what was that, four weeks ago but it happens so quickly, it spins through when I stick in on the computer time went back for me it was kind of a nice experience.  I did have someone staying with me for three weeks during that time, [laughter] that affected . . . I mean my drinking is different because of having hospitality. [laughter]

[From the floor]: I was going to ask, if every time you have a drink if you contemplated I’m going to take a photo of this, did that affect you that you knew you were going to take a photo of it and show people what you were drinking?

Mike: I didn’t care, eh.  Sometimes it was a bit awkward to pull the camera out and take a photo. [laughter] The communion cup is actually empty and it wasn’t because I was . . . I just didn’t think of it at the time and thought this is a drink I’ve just had and take a photo of it.  I didn’t really care about what I consumed. That’s another good point, I know someone who only drank water through lent and so that’s another spin on a similar theme, but for me it wasn’t the content it was more the process.  Eight or ten times a day stopping and pondering about Jesus. 

Sandra: And you mentioned how quickly your habits formed in five weeks. Do you have an intent . . . not to keep taking photos . . . but to still pause, maybe?

Mike: I don’t think so, but I’ve probably got fifty more Lents in my life, God willing. So maybe another Lent I’ll do the same thing because it was a good for me.

[From the floor]: You were talking about the movement before and from the far end of the . . .  you can look up and see yours reflected off the wishing well, it’s quite cool . . .