TWICE IN THE SAME RIVER (2013)
Collaborative installation
'Twice in the Same River' was a collaborative installation by Sophie Brown, Caitlin Hyatt, Julia Moyes, Victoria O'Brien, Claire Orme, Thomas Pilcher and Stephanie Rondel, which took place at Sun Pier House, Chatham.
The viewer is given earplugs before entering the installation, in which they enter to an immersive experience, referencing the history of Sun Pier, and its tragic collapse in 1885. The room in complete darkness apart from the hanging "orbs" documenting the lives lost during the collapse, the muffled and obscured sound of the real world, and feel of sand and grit under foot.
The installation was completely site specific, with the concept addressing the history of the location. Even the water used for the floating orbs were collected from the river beneath Sun Pier.
The press release below offers more explanation into the installation, as well as some photographs of the work and a walkthrough video.
PRESS RELEASE (2013):
TWICE IN THE SAME RIVER (2013)
Tuesday 19th March 2013 10.00-17.00 | Private View: Monday 18th March 2013 18.30-22.00
“Into the same rivers we step and do not step, we are and are not.”
- Heraclitus Homericus
Twice in the Same River is an installation by seven practicing artists in their second year of study of Fine Art at the University of Kent.
The installation investigates the voice of the river through its metaphor on time, focusing on the temporary and the histories surrounding its enigmatic life. The River Medway has seen and experienced many pasts; it is a constant but forever a changing path. From the window, Chatham Sun Pier appears silent, sitting on the river, a bystander to the river’s continual change. Its tragic collapse in 1885 becomes part of the river’s history, its present state silently grieving for that moment in time. The installation explores the collapse of the pier, translating the event to inform the viewer, in an immersive and interactive fashion that provokes the senses to act through a journey of self-reflection and involvement that comes from the river’s passage in time and history.
The installation is one of three exhibitions at Sun Pier House under the collective name of pARTicipate Medway. In an aim to include the viewer in the art, the exhibitions work to make their themes into an experience that will have the spectator become part of the art in their participation. In the creation of the participatory works, the artists hope to establish a bond between art and spectator, closing the gap between viewer and picture.
Sophie Brown, Caitlin Hyatt, Julia Moyes, Victoria O’Brien, Claire Orme, Tom Pilcher and Stephanie Rondel.
SUN PIER HOUSE, MEDWAY STREET, CHATHAM, KENT, ME4 4HF
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