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Notes
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Spanning the River Lea, 'On WindTides' is a large-scale text installation by Helen Cammock that explores movement, migration and change. It consists of a short prose, on either side of a 60-metre cable bridge just north of Cody Dock. One side of the bridge ‘We fold ourselves across the tides,’ whilst the other side reads ‘From silt to land sometimes we live as wind blown sand’. The letters sit proud of the bridge, creating an interplay between the words and the movement of the sun. The work was developed in relation to the local area, its heritage and its diverse communities. Once heavily industrial, the landscape and local ecology of the surrounding area is changing. The mint green of ‘We fold ourselves across the tides’ nods to the diverse array of plant and wildlife around the warehouses and canals.
‘From silt to land sometimes we live as wind blown sand’ prompts us to reflect on how and why people move from one place to another. Like sand, which can settle in a landscape or can be blown elsewhere, we might land somewhere unexpectedly or through intent. This text references movement as a fundamental part of human existence and, with its ochre colouring, represents the shifting mixture of silt, sand and mud of the riverbed.
Nearby, a display cabinet features a changing display of text-based works on paper made by local community groups through workshopped conversations with Cammock where participants experimented with text and collage. Using the language, signs and symbols of everyday life, their artworks respond to the bridge installation and its themes, and reference local history, culture, ecology, and the idea and importance of home. This display will change on a monthly basis, creating a dialogue with the words on the bridge whilst allowing new meanings and interpretations to emerge.
The Line
London
Title
On WindTides
Date
2024
Medium
bridge: stencil cut powder-coated steel letters. display cabinet: powder-coated steel & concrete ballast
Measurements
H (?) x W 6000 x D 175 cm;
H (?) x W 120 x D 194 cm
Accession number
25
Acquisition method
one of three co-commissioned artworks developed by The Line in collaboration with local residents; supported by Newham Council
Work type
Other
Installation start date
23 May
Unveiling date
23 May
