Soundings From The Estuary

A London Festival Of Architecture Event

Preview: 20th June 6.00pm – 9.00pm

Exhibition: 20th June – 20th July
Open: Mon-Sat :10:00am– 6.00pm

www.soundingsfromtheestuary.com

FREE ENTRY

Artists: Frank Watson, Germander Speedwell, Dave Lawrence

The Thames Estuary is an archaic and idiosyncratic landscape, much of which remains marshland. This vulnerable area now awaits the final attack: the expansion of London’s urban sprawl (The Thames Gateway Development) as well as the prospect of rising sea levels.

‘Soundings From The Estuary’ is an ongoing arts based project that is inspired by the Thames Estuary’s industrial, architectural, and maritime traces. It also considers the present threat from both global warming and the Thames Gateway project to the existing terrain that is both diverse and eccentric.

The work incorporates the collecting of sound using ambient and spoken word pieces as well as photographs and video to consider the relationship the way we experience this endangered landscape both visually and aurally.

The artists Frank Watson, Germander Speedwell and Dave Lawrence have produced work that evokes an overlooked and disappearing landscape that is unique if not melancholic and deserves a second glance if not a sympathetic ear. A selection of the work produced for this project will be on show at the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre as part of the London Festival Of Architecture.

For more inofrmation, images and audio and video content please visit www.soundingsfromtheestuary.com.

Events

As well as this exhibition which will be running for the length of the London Festival of Architecture, other events will include live readings and talks by Germander Speedwell on Saturdays, a Resonance FM show on Tuesday July 1st, and an architectural debate to be held at the Tate Modern on Friday July 11 - speakers to be announced.

See www.soundingsfromtheestuary.com for full details.

Soundings from the Estuary

FRANK WATSON is a photographic lecturer at Westminster University and Croydon College of Art. His photographic practice deals with the spatial relationship between landscape and architecture. His previous work has dealt with the abandonment and ruins of the country house in Southern Ireland and the design and construction of allotment sheds in west London. More recently (2004) he has published a book of photographs on abandoned Cold War Sites in England entitled The Hush House (see www.thehushhouse.com). At present he is researching the relationship between sound and photography, and these ideas appear as a chapter in a book entitled A Fearsome Heritage: Diverse Legacies of the Cold War, published in 2007 as well as having a programme on the subject for Resonance radio with Germander Speedwell. He has also made work in conjunction with the architects Chance de Silva. He has exhibited work widely including the Design Museum and the Museum of London. He has also curated exhibitions including ‘Living in This Mess’ (2002) at the Morley Gallery, London. In 2006 he participated in the ‘Faster Than Sound’ event as part of The Aldeburgh Music Festival. This year he has exhibited video work with Dave Lawrence at the Lumiere Cinema, London and photographic work at the London Gallery West.

GERMANDER SPEEDWELL is a spoken-word artist based in London, who collects words on specific and often obscure factual subjects, and arranges these into entertaining and enigmatic word pieces. Her special areas of interest are place names, natural history, and maritime subjects. Germander's public engagements have included various London venues, the Sea Sheppey Maritime Festival for the last 3 years, and appearances on Resonance FM, where she will be hosting her own regular show later this year. See www.germanderspeedwell.org.uk for full details.

DAVE LAWRENCE (aka Sponde) lectures at Middlesex University and is a sonic artist and digital media scientist who creates soundscapes as part of collaborations with a number of unique artists; who themselves work in a variety of forms - visual, sculptural, sound, video, photographic, movement, performance and the spoken word. He is particularly interested in notions of ‘time, times & timings, life, and the inner/outer self’. His work deals with sounds of natural/man made objects, events and environments & our own sounds and data. Soundings of the Estuary is the latest project and one of the aspects is to explore the sense of time and the magnificent intensity in and around the estuary. He has exhibited and performed collaborative works internationally including the 1st Moscow International Biennale of young artists (performance/installation with Sasha Frolova - July) and Stardust (Lilian Lijn at the Riflemaker Gallery, London.

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