Simon Perry’s monumental dripping tap sculpture – On Tap – is situated on the southern side of Lake Caroline in the Caroline Springs housing development, located in the Melton Shire, 22kms west of Melbourne on the Western Highway. The work uses a fine balance of whimsy and irony to develop a dialogue about a range of issues including our current water crisis.

Commissioned in 2006 by Delfin Lend Lease and curated by Brecknock Consulting, the work comprises a five-metre tall vertical tap fabricated from off-white painted steel with a spun stainless steel droplet suspended from the spout. Two circular stainless steel plates symbolic of droplets of water are embedded into the nearby paving.

On Tap references the geology, history, conservation and use of the 7.8 hectare lake site contained within the development setting. Caroline Springs is one of Australia’s fastest selling residential communities with over 10,750 residents.

The artist’s continuing engagement with conceptualism and aggrandizement of domestic, everyday objects has produced a bold and visually dynamic statement. The suspended droplet suggests water in an eternal state of suspension and flux – always on the brink of falling.