Material + Time

'Material + Time' is site-responsive video which explores the visual and sonic textures of the port of Newhaven in East Sussex, focusing on the relationship between the activities of industry and wildlife. Over an extended period of time, I have been observing the places where pioneer lichen can be found, where birds and insects go about their activities amongst aggregate, industrial waterways, artificial lighting, and where we might sense the vibrancy of non-human materials. Specifically, through writing, video, drawing, and audio recording I have been observing the instance of birdlife such as egrets, herons, and avocets in Mill Creek which runs between the coast and the town. These observations form the material for my composition. The audio material comprises field recordings, vocal recordings of myself interacting with the objects and wildlife found in and around the industrial spaces. The text featuring in text messages sample extracts of existing material from some of the industries and businesses, working between Newhaven along the Mill Creek, as well as official information from the port authority and the information about the coastal path from Natural England.
This work is part of a series of site-based art works in which I respond to in-between spaces, and spaces of transition, including 'Expectation of An Echo' made in a working Quarry in Portland in Dorset, 'Konsert Rasprodan' which explored a derelict 1930’s French Pavilion in Zagreb, Croatia, and 'Light Music', which was located within the hoarding of the building site at the time the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne was being built in its seafront location.