29 September–11 November 2007
Trace & Transience
Exhibition
Exhibition by six members of the research group Land/Water and the Visual Arts based at the Faculty of Arts, University of Plymouth, but with diverse approaches to environmental exploration.
The group consisted of artists, writers and curators who embraced a diversity of creative and critical practices. Working individually, as well as collaboratively with other organisations, they addressed issues of sustainability and environmental change, the nature of place, journey and the West Country as a specific geographical region. Artists within the group also provided a programme of workshops exploring their arts practices.
Activities
- 11 October: Twilight Teachers’ Meeting
- 13 October: Big Draw workshop
- 18 October: Children’s workshop
- 20 October: Tate rings Haldon bell with artist Geoffrey Farmer
- 20/21 October: Talks/workshops with artists Jem Southam, Liz Nicol and Christopher Cook
- 21 October: Music/Poetry with Tony Lopez and Tynder
- 23/24/26 October: Children’s workshops
- 3-4 November: Workshop Body Mapping.
17 November–23 December 2007
Greenhouse Britain: Losing ground, gaining wisdom
Exhibition
Greenhouse Britain was a new exhibition by the eminent American ecological artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison and their British associates and it dramatically addressed the environmental, political and economic challenges of rising sea levels caused by climate change. Its central feature was a multimedia video projection onto a giant relief model of mainland Britain on which one saw the waters gradually redraw the coastline.
See also:
For nearly 40 years, the Harrisons had been leaders in the ecological arts movement. Past projects had involved collaborative dialogues with politicians, scientists, planners and communities and focused on watershed restoration, urban renewal, agriculture, forestry and global warming.
Estimates of the predicted rise in sea levels this century due to the effect of climate change on the earth’s ice caps range from one to five metres. In Britain, a rise of five metres would displace two million people and flood 10,000 square kilometres of land. Taking three key river watersheds, the Avon, the Mersey and the Lee in East London, the artists imagined the challenges of defending the land and withdrawing from the rising waters.
Articles
- Article by Johanna Korndorfer on engaging young people with climate change published in the Engage Journal issue 21
- Article in The Source magazine
Activities
- 22 November: Visit by Ed Vaizey, then Shadow Minister for the Arts
- 25 November: Presentation by the Harrisons
- 26 November: Talk/discussion Greenhouse Britain at University of Plymouth
- 1 December: Advent wreath-making workshop
- 9 December: Christmas decorations workshop
- 11-16 December: Forestry Commission Christmas events
Next Page
January–March 2008