text2

[wa:tr]

IN_FLUENCE

An Art Project in the Water, Around the Water and About Water

The project IN_FLUENCE is to be developed for Belfast, for the river Lagan and in memory of the river Farset. It arises from several water exhibitions and projects that I have developed in the last few years through my involvement in the organisation of events like Aquamediale 2005 in Germany, and Art Fluid Canal in Switzerland (Le Landeron), Korea (Seoul) and Germany (Berlin).

IN_FLUENCE is about visions and ideas: their rise and fall, and the influence of water on most human activities. Water creates spaces, it divides and connects. Belfast was built around the crossing of the river Farset, the river that gave Belfast its name, which today leads a wretched existence in a canalisation tunnel under High Street. The influence of the Lagan in the past and present on the development of the city is obvious, as is the impact of the safe harbour. The rise of Belfast climaxed in the building of the Titanic, which today stands as a symbol of superlatives, and at the same time marks the end of an epoch. Belfast has faced the decline of the industrial society. The city has now embarked upon a sustained period of recovery in which the potentials of the waters of Belfast are being increasingly recognised. Water points to the essentials of life the care of which has been overshadowed by troublesome times. It is an ecological imperative the awareness of which will determine much of Belfast’s future. For all these reasons, Belfast is a perfect place for an exhibition about the IN_FLUENCE of water, and our IN_FLUENCE on the water.

The IN_FLUENCE project aims to be an arena in which different opinions and visions can be expressed to promote the awareness of issues surrounding water and the integration of ideas about use and misuse of water. It is a project that questions water as an environment and water as an element and material.

<< back up /\

The idea is to use the water as a space in the public realm for the exhibition. We intend to realize 8-12 art projects that will be placed on the water of the Lagan River, the harbour, the locks or around the River. The exhibition can be visited by walking down the riverside and also experienced from a boat. (Titanic Tours). From my experience of other projects, I would propose the realisation of between 8 and 12 larger-sized projects, which are concentrated and individually designed with regard to the special features of each particular location. The invited national and international artists realize lectures, workshops and projects with the students of the University of Ulster.

IN_FLUENCE aims to be an international platform for exchange of ideas, experiences, visions and doubts. Exchange of ideas, solutions and experiences with other regions and cities will be promoted. The project will sharpen our awareness for the subject generally, as well as for global and local issues. The impact of temporary art projects in the public realm is much stronger than that of permanent commissioned works. In temporary works, artists can express themselves with much more freedom, and the influence of this freedom on the reputation of the city is very powerful, when the project is characterised by high quality work of international standard and by well developed international public relations.

This celebration and the ancillary events will generate a considerable amount of positive publicity for the school of Art and Design and its work, as well as for the UU as a whole. The whole project will also benefit existing students and recruit many more. The outreach benefits of this project could very well stretch far beyond the boundaries of the island of Ireland. The network with the other Water projects and the international exchange and the associated lectures, workshops and exhibitions will also have a positive effect on student recruitment and offers, networking opportunities for local artists, institutions and University bodies, and it will enhance the image of the University of Ulster.

The ideas underpinning the project are intended to raise people’s awareness and generate public debate about the use of water, about the use of the public realm. It will also foster an awareness of contemporary artistic strategies. It aims to raise the profile of arts activities happening locally international, to increase access to the arts - and incidentally to draw on and add to the City Council’s experience in the strategic development of opportunities for contemporary art.

Art is a form of communication that is able to influence the atmosphere of a space very powerfully. Art in public spaces is much more than only decoration. It is a chance for development.

The exhibition will be an important part of the rich cultural live of Belfast and a valuable addition to the programme of festivals. It will also enable people to come into contact with art on a daily basis and raise the profile of the city. Tourists’ and visitors’ experience will be exiting, imaginative and unique.

Artists with an international reputation who have previously worked on the theme of or with water, or have completed other suitable work, will be asked to prepare proposals for a project in Belfast (from November 2006 to June 2008)

From June to August 2008, a catalogue will be prepared and a public relations strategy will be prepared.

In July, a location for the construction of the objects will needed to be finalized, and temporary accommodation for the artists is required. The site must be covered with a roof or a tent for preparation of the objects. It needs electricity. We need also the equipment to water the objects and to fix them on the ground.

In August 2008, a grand opening will take place, maybe on the water or with a swimming orchestra. The catalogue will be published. In 2008 it is planed to let the the exhibition travel to Copenhagen (Denmark), Turkey and China. ( maybe Cork)

The participants are internationally recognized artists from Ireland, the UK, Europe and Asia. Their work was related to the water before. The project works in collaboration with other water projects like Art Fluid Canal, which will be shown in Switzerland 2006, Korea (Seoul) from September 2006 and Germany in Potsdam and Berlin in 2007.