The Tide combines specific references to conditions on the East (Lincolnshire) Coast of England with general narratives of 'islandism' and ecology.
A video projection shows a continuous 360-degree pan made at the extreme tip of Spurn Point: the narrow spit of rock, mud and sand at the mouth of the river Humber, almost entirely surrounded by the sea which constantly erodes it. A camera fixed to a rotating boom continually circles an object which recalls both maritime buoys and weather-beaten fencing. Its slats are inscribed with three names - Dirty, Plenty, Angry - in a painted style reminiscent of house or boat names.
The Humber estuary receives many large vessels from Europe and beyond, and constant maritime traffic is visible slipping past behind the central, apparently turning object. The image is periodically interrupted by a wash of red seawater. The work includes short narrative texts and modified engravings from a 19th century seafaring yarn, all employed as projections which repeatedly stain red through the use of rotating disc mechanisms. All images and texts emanate outwards from a central open-work tower, projected onto sail-like drapes which cover the entire interior.
Funding and exhibition details
Commissioned and funded by Hull Time Based Arts for the Posterngate Gallery, Hull
Production assistant: Graham Gaunt
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