Swirling Water (The Power that Flows Through Us)

The Power that Flows Through Us explores the construction and political context around the Clyde Dam, the third-largest hydroelectric plant in Aotearoa and a legacy of Robert Muldoon’s 'Think Big' initiative. In this work, Matthew Galloway uses poetry as sonic interventions, large-scale projections of drone footage, and archival political cartoons blown up into sculptural form to locate the viewer within the narratives and perspectives swirling around the Clyde Dam since its inception. In its articulation of the monumental physicality of the dam, The Power that Flows Through Us invites us to consider not only the physical generation of electrical power but also the distribution and implementation of political power.