Stories #5

I began to think more about stories and where we find them. It's impossible to just pluck a story out of thin air. Well...It is possible, but whether it'll have any meaning is another question. There are so many genres within the world of storytelling so it's difficult to know where to begin and decide what story it is you want to tell; what stories are worth telling? Evgenia's stories of the Russian arctic (the artist i looked at previously) were meaningful to her as it was her birthplace. Born in the secluded port city Tiksi, she remains deeply connected to this place and its surroundings.

Tiksi, Evgenia Arbugaeva

As i had just returned home for Christmas, I decided to take myself out for a walk along the seafront. I hadn't been along there for a while so i planned to take notes on this little journey; document how i felt being properly back home after such a long time. I also wanted to see if i could find any potential for a narrative within the spaces i explored. Evegenia found magical stories in her home town and i wanted to see if i could start to do the same. Below are the notes i took:

'Walking along the seafront was strange. It's been my home for the last 20 years but at this moment in time, it doesn't feel like it. It's not necessarily a negative thing, it's just a sudden change in environment; different people, different air. I have so many connections to this place, yet i feel detached. I guess people come into this a lot. All the people I connected with in this place have gone off to do their own thing. I guess the concept of home is an odd one. Sometimes home is people, sometimes it's the place, a house or the memories. For me, i think it's the people that make a place so special a lot of the time.  It's who you share a space with that makes it so memorable. 

I'm currently sitting on a bench up on Tankerton slopes, looking out at the sea. I realise the three main parts of this place that stand out to me: The slopes, the beach and the sea. They are different but all connected. The idea of having three separate stories that all coincide with one another springs to mind. A story based around each part: The slopes, the beach and the sea. Each narrative will be different and could follow different characters, but somehow they will all be connected. Whether the connection is between the characters or whether it's the fact they're in the same place but with different motives is something i need to consider.'

SLOPE STORY

Looking along the slopes, these are the main things i notice:

-Benches

-Cafe

-Green grass

-Birds

-One friendly seagull patting his feet in the mud, looking for worms.

-Stairs

-I also notice two people in the distance, in the sea, walking with their paddle boards. The water is shallow enough. They could be the main characters of the sea story that the slope story character can see from the bench. Therefore, there's a connection, but only the audience notice it. 

-I also notice a glowing boat right out at sea, past the windmills . It's beautiful. I tried to take a picture but it's a blurry mess as it's too far. The sunlight out there is hitting the boat perfectly, making it look as though it's floating; a ghostly structure. The windows look illuminated by this golden light. It's a brilliant, magical contrast having the glowing boat against the foggy, grey sea and sky.

SEA STORY

-Glowing boat

-Paddle boarders

-Herne bay pier (old abandoned structure in the middle of the sea)

-Windmills in the sea

-The sea itself. I could focus on the creatures below the sea? Like in 'Kanini and Kanino'; a 2018 short animated film in a series called 'Modest heroes' by studio ponoc. It follows two fictional characters that live in a freshwater stream. But maybe i should focus on what i can actually see, otherwise i've got to come up with these creatures under the sea. I'll keep it somewhat realistic even though, taking inspiration from magical realism, there will be magical elements in each story.

Kanino and Kanini

As it's difficult to see the beach clearly from the slopes, i will walk down to get a closer look. I didn't take many notes while walking along the beach as i saw so many photographic opportunities instead. Below are the photos i took:

This was the first thing i noticed on the beach from the promenade. It stuck out to me because it's obviously been put there by another person. It's been put there for a reason; to make people stop and look. It looks like a form of remembrance (due to the name, the wings and the halo), maybe a way to remember a friend/family member that's passed?  By looking at this, i am somewhat connected to whoever Lewis was and the people that created this for him. 

I found this painted on right next to it. I'm not sure whether it was relevant to Lewis' name or if someone else had seen his name and added to it. I like the fact that you don't know. Instead, you've stumbled across an expression from people that lead a completely different life to you but they've left this message in a public space for more people to feel connected. There's no pressure to this message. It's just a nice thing to happen upon and it does make you think. These public messages make me think of a few things we talked about in lectures over the past weeks. One particular lecture that stands out is Minna's talk on 'Protest'. I don't view these images above as a means of protest, simply because of where and how they're placed. They're on a very small scale which implies they are there to peacefully remind you to 'just love' instead of force you to agree with a certain view. I feel like Lewis' name was done for the benefit of those that cared for him and to hold him dear to the place i only assume he grew up in or at least lived; there's no form of protest in that name. Unless he died due to some kind of prejudice or he died with lack of justice. Again, these are bits of information i cannot know without uncovering the whole story. But, it's interesting to think about all the endless possibilities. Moving onto the phrase 'Just love'; more often than not, words such as these are used on a wider scale for certain types of protest. Protests like 'Black lives matter', 'Legalisation of same sex marriages', 'LGBTQ+ rights protest', protests in war-torn countries etc... It can be relevant to anything really, as it's such a simple but poignant message. It's not asking a question, it's telling you to do something which is what makes it so important. I wonder if there are several messages like this painted across different areas of whitstable? Or if this is the only one. I feel like numbers increase impact. However, if it is just linked to Lewis then there's no need for the phrase to go anywhere else. Just by someone making a small change to a landscape, it opens up all these questions and lets you into someone else's story. 

RICHARD LONG

This alteration of a landscape also makes me think of the artist, Richard Long. The english sculptor is one of the best known British land artists. His work has broadened the idea of sculpture, developing it to be more a part of performance art and conceptual art. He works typically with earth, rock, mud, stone and other nature based materials. In exhibitions, his work is usually displayed with the materials or through documentary photographs of his performances/experiences. This is strongly relevant to how we'd be curating our own show, as he shows it's possible to document your work/experiences both physically and digitally, hopefully still conveying the same meaning. 

Several of his works were based around walks that he has made, and as well as land based natural sculpture, he uses the mediums of photography, text and maps of the landscape he has walked over. He has been taking these walks since the mid 1960's and has walked places such as the Sahara desert, Australia, Iceland and near his home in Bristol. His work has influenced the boundaries of sculpture to not be limited to only "traditional" materials. He has also changes what art is, as the actual art piece can be the process of creating the art itself. I find this really interesting as it's not something i have properly considered before. The interaction with the landscape is the art, altering something natural and leaving a mark is the art. So, the name 'Lewis' and the phrase "Just love" have been placed into a natural landscape and have therefore changed its meaning. That beach is now different to all the other beaches; it's unique because of this alteration and it will never be the same. 

Heraclitus of Ephesus

(pre-socratic philosopher)

"You can never step in the same river twice".

This quote from Heraclitus basically states that the world is constantly changing and no two situations are the same. Just as the water flows in a river, one cannot touch the exact same water twice when stepping into the river. Our landscapes are constantly evolving, whether it's due to humans moulding them or just the elements weathering certain parts of the land, it's always changing. Especially with someone like Richard Long, who purposefully interacts with the landscape to leave his mark and change its meaning. He makes sure that no two situations are the same. This change in landscape implies a journey. And in every journey, there's a story. 

John Akomfrah - 'Vertigo Sea, 2015'

An acclaimed video installation, three-screen film, first seen at the 56th Venice Biennale.

Vertigo Sea is a sensual, poetic and cohesive meditation on man's relationship with the sea and exploration of its role in the history of slavery, migration and conflict. The work explicitly highlights the greed, horror and cruelty of the whaling industry. This material is then juxtaposed with shots of African migrants crossing the ocean in a journey fraught with danger in hopes of a better life. This delivers a timely and potent reminder of the current issues around global migration, the refugee crisis, slavery, alongside ecological concerns.

Shot on the Isle of Skye, The Faroe Islands and the Northern regions of Norway, it draws upon two remarkable books: Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' (1851) and Heathcote Williams' epic poem 'Whale Nation' (1988), a harrowing and inspiring work which charts the history, intelligence and majesty of the largest mammal on earth.

An inspiring project that connects us to people, parts of our culture and parts of our history we weren't necessarily aware of. Having the images presented across three screens allows for that contrast between the beautiful and the harrowing elements of this world. I feel like Akomfrah's presentation is very dependant on his subject matter. As he has shot this films in three geographically stunning parts of the world, it is necessary to have these images large scale. The message behind the images is also a strong one and a poignant one so deserves to be able to capture the audiences full attention. The contrast i talked about earlier is also vital which is what makes the three screens necessary. I feel like i need to find my subject matter/narrative before i know how i'm going to present and in what medium. But i am heavily inspired by Akomfrah's work and i like how he's drawn upon two very well known pieces of literature to bring up to date with the happenings in the world today.