For the exhibition Littoral Zone, artist Emily Speed has been commissioned to make a new installation for our gallery. The name of the exhibition refers to the space between the high and low water mark where the sea tides meet the land.
Emily Speed makes art works that bring together her interests in the body and architecture. For this exhibition she has been thinking about the structures people build alongside the littoral zone, either as a defence from the power of the sea or as a way to map out territory. For Emily the beach is an important site; seamlessly combining the past and present and always the same yet constantly changing.
In the gallery, the installation consists of a series of timber frames dividing the space, reminding us of temporary structures like windbreaks. There are also video projections and a gentle sound track. With the help of some local dancers, performers and media students, Emily filmed a performance at South Milton Sands (also known as Thurlestone Sands) with customised windbreaks. In the projections we get a glimpse of the performers hammering away with wooden mallets, trying to build a temporary suburb, on a very windy day in October.
This summer, take a piece of editioned art to the beach with you! We have 19 lovely white canvas windbreaks from the making of Littoral Zone, which are available to purchase for £50 each during the course of the exhibition. Please speak to the box office staff if you are interested in purchasing a windbreak.
Rather excitingly, we also have one windbreak kindly donated by Emily Speed to give away as a competition prize. Tell us what you think about the exhibition when you visit to be in with a chance of winning! Winner will be announced at the close of the exhibition
Emily Speed’s Littoral Zone is at Plymouth Arts Centre from 22 March – 25 May. Entry is free.
Hannah Pollard
Programme Assistant
With thanks to Gillespie Yunnie Architects for sponsoring this exhibition.
