Hear the sea...

This island nation remains curiously enamoured, perhaps mildly obsessed, with water, although the relationship is increasingly ambivalent.  In spite of the fact that 72% of the UK’s population visit the coast each year a recent survey by Natural England suggests that English people think our waters are full of terror, polluted and unwelcoming.  We like to observe our seas and rivers, we might even lounge in the sun by them, but increasingly we are afraid to encounter the waters directly and it seems like only our children swim any more.

In contemporary culture water retains many negative associations and primal fear of what lies beneath the surface is manifest in contemporary fables. One of the most enduring myths of water is of man-eating sharks originated by films like the seminal Jaws and reinforced by sensationalist media manifestations; Great White shark sightings off Cornwall reported in the tabloids and perennial documentaries showing the semi-circular scars of shark attack. Even at a microscopic level, cryptosporidium and campylobacter discourage a population brought up in the chlorinated fumes of the local indoor pool from entering the water and consuming ultra-expensive bottled water as the only “safe” water to drink.

Immersion is a contemporary art project using the arts, sciences, and recreational and leisure activities to promote awareness and develop better understanding of both the ecological and social importance of water environments.  Set within the hydrological cycle of Dartmoor, the project comprises a series of three commissioned projects, and a number of public outputs.  The project begins mid-2010.

Water...

...is a life-giver and a life-taker, on which it is possible to project many cultural, mythical attributes which range from fear of its erosive and destructive capacity to a welcoming of its life-giving qualities.

The hydrological cycle –– the journey from air to land to sea to air  –– presents many opportunities for the exploration of these attitudes, and Dartmoor with its dark myths and manifold water courses is our ideal starting point.  It is a place with an obvious physical geography formed by the hydrological cycle.  Water has been a significant factor in the area’s history, from the maritime industries of Plymouth, fishing, cargo and ferries to the construction of leats in order to supply drinking water and power to the tin mines of Dartmoor. Water power is being rediscovered on Dartmoor with studies showing that up to 6,700kw could be produced [Devon Association for Renewable Energy, 2005].  Even the china clay mining operation on Dartmoor also relies on water to extract the mineral, which is then exported around the globe from Plymouth docks.

In the late 1500s Sir Francis Drake, the great explorer, privateer and politician of Elizabeth’s court, and a one-time mayor of Plymouth, built a great leat from Dartmoor to Plymouth, primarily to provide fresh water not to the people of Plymouth but to the workers and seamen of Devonport.  In so doing, he not only built one of the country’s first great municipal water supplies, but also cemented the sustainability of one of England’s great port cities, making it one of the most powerful naval cities in the world, home to England’s war fleet which subsequently destroyed the fabled Spanish Armada.  Plentiful water also fuelled the great tin and china clay mining industries on the moor, providing a rich source of wealth for the area, and helping to build some of the wealthy market towns that remain pockets of prosperity today in what is an increasingly economically constrained area.

Dartmoor however is no longer the industrial power house it once was.  Mining has declined almost to zero;  its agriculture is mostly small family hill farms that may provide high quality sustainable meat products but which are increasingly politically out of favour.  The primary economic engine of Dartmoor and, indeed, the entire southwest peninsula, is tourism and recreation.  Water continues to play an important part in this, and thus remains at the heart of this beautiful place.

The projects

Strand 1:  Immersible [adj. an object or system not susceptible to harm if immersed in water]   Humans are remarkably immersible.  This strand, led by Nancy Sinclair, explores the deep relationship that people who live, work or play on or near water develop with it.  It will also involve people getting wet.  And enjoying it.

Strand 2:  Immersed [a term from digital technologists, describing the degree to which a virtual world can be believable to its audience]   How can we use digital technologies to penetrate the surface of the water and learn what lies beneath?  This strand will commission digital artist Richard Povall to create a series of works that not only reveal what lies beneath the rivers and the oceans (literally or imaginatively, conceptually or figuratively), but which uses the touch and feel of water as a sensual haptic interface.  We imagine the end result will be some form of installation and probably an online or kiosk-based exploration as well.

Strand 3: Submersion    Perhaps the most ambitious of the three strands and led by the project’s director Alex Murdin, this strand examines water from an architectural perspective, looking towards creating new public spaces or facilities as a temporary space for the enjoyment of water and its ecologies, and as a space for learning more in engaging, fun, exploratory, and hands-on ways.  It may be that the physical spaces created cross the boundary between air and water – who knows? The brief will be flexible, speculative, and open to challenge (for example) the physical laws of nature.  Can water flow up?

Alongside the three main strands, the project will deliver an overall educational programme working at all levels from primary school to tertiary education, with educational elements as an integral part of all three commissions.  AHA will work closely with the artists and other project partners to coordinate a series of schools projects learning for example about water ecologies, understanding how important fresh water is to the future of mankind, about the impact of global warming on water supplies across the globe, about how water could become an important source of energy and heat.  We will work with postgraduate students, with researchers at the University of Plymouth and at University College Falmouth – and with other artists and scientists from the area.

The artists

The project’s executive producer and artistic director Alex Murdin has been a curator, researcher and artist for over 15 years.  Key areas of interest include working with ecologically and rurally-led practices in the public realm and the field of craft. Formerly Director of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen Alex has been involved in setting up national programmes such as developing and delivering a Cultural Leadership strand on behalf of Arts Council England.

Nancy Sinclair will lead on Immersible.  Part of the AHA collective, and a wild swimmer extraordinaire, Nancy is a photographer, visual artist, and creative producer.  She was a founding member of AHA and has worked with them in a variety of roles for more than 10 years.  In addition to her work as an artist, Nancy has directed a number of arts organisations here and in the US.

Richard Povall leads on Immersed.  Richard is also a founding member of AHA and has worked as a digital artist for more than 20 years. Some of his best-known work, as co-director of half/angel, is in creating touch-based interfaces that are sensitive and sensuous.  He has a particular interest in using water as an interface for exploring rich visual and sonic worlds.

Audiences

The public phase of the project will reach out to broad audiences in both urban and rural contexts.  AHA has a reputation for bringing meaningful contemporary artwork to audiences in all kinds of contexts, from urban whitespace galleries to open public spaces, from National Trust properties to village halls, and especially to spaces where audiences are not expecting to encounter contemporary art. 

Timeline

The project runs from April 2010 to March 2011 (excluding dissemination/exhibition).

Partners

We will work with a wide range of partners in developing and delivering the project.  These are likely to include: