Interweaving Spaces
Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, UK
July-November 2023
Supported by Arts Council England - To view the exhibition's report please click here
Interweaving Spaces large scale immersive installation was the culmination of a creative research project about marine life, the intersection of bio and cultural diversity and the power of art and dance to inform and motivate actions for climate justice.
“Amazing and interesting. Beautiful textiles. I have never seen anything like this before” A. Denyer
“exacting way to get public engagement through combined arts and ecology. Very stimulating, imaginative and informative. Very innovative and engaging” Marie [Conservation at Worthing Museum]
“Fascinating Exhibition. The intersection of kelp conservation with art activism is terrific. The installation is wonderful and the talk from Gil and Geroge excellent” Rocco
“Fantastic exhibition, provocative and exciting.” Jenny
To read more visitors' comments please see the Arts Council England visitor's report.
The project sprung out of a commissioned by the Sussex Wildlife Trust's Kelp restoration project of the kelp forest off Sussex shores and then included a research into direct actions tactics of movements in the past two decades of such as Reclaim the Streets, GreenPeace and Extincion Rebellion and the role of dance and movement within the actions of these groups.
The immersive installation at Worthing museum was formed by hundred textile stripes dropping from eight meters high ceiling printed with 32 different bespoke intricate patterns designed to echo kelp and underwater sceneries using traditional patterns from coastal communities across the globe, many of whom are threatened by global warming and rising seas.
The installation included two films. One, projected on a “screen” made out of dozens of white bandages was “Code Red! Code Red!” a short dance film in collaboration with the dancer Lya Abdou Issa [aka blkdimond]. The film “narrative” was constructed around the sampling the inspirational speech by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley at COP26 and mashed up with works by Liam Kind, aka kid7 & Taylor-Patel aka 8SZN, Anton Vlaso, Michael Kobrin, and ocean sounds and sampling sounds from Extinction Rebellion demonstrations.
The other film “The Calling” - an underwater dance film alluding to the Greek myth of the Siren and their imagined potential as eco-warriors. The filming took place at the shipwreck of Epanomi near Thessaloniki in collaboration with the performer Dimitris Galnakis.
The short film can be viewed here: https://www.gmdart.com/thecalling
In addition the exhibition included two series of photography: one from Galanakis underwater dance and the other “The Colour of Death” was an underwater photography of dying corals in the Red Sea.
Worthing Museum & Art Gallery exhibition's programme included several talks, dance and visual arts workshops and community events.
Parts of this project were exhibited during 2022-2024 also at NOBA Norway, UCA Brewery Tap Gallery, Folkestone UK, Resorce for London, UK, Espcio8, São Paulo, Brazil and Stiftung-Kuenstlerdorf, Germany.
The Calling - an underwater photography series & a dance film [2021-2022]
Photography: Gil Mualem-Doron / Performer: Dimitris Galanakis
Winter 1970. The Aegean Sea is roaring.
Ordered by The Junta, a ship carrying tons of soil and fertilizers is approaching the shores of Epanomi. The plan is to transform the unique sand-dune area into an agricultural zone at the cost of destroying the unique local natural habitat.
A ‘Siren’ local to the area, and some rumours say they are, in fact, the village queer shapeshifter, hears the call of Nature. The transformation of the land will also affect marine life. They are calling; they are singing into the wind their enchanting melody.
The ship’s mesmerized sailors steer it, crashing it onto a reef. Terrified from the revenge of the Siren, now abandoned in the waters, the ship has remained. Today, almost 50 years later, the wreck has been re-wilded, transforming into an underwater haven for countless species and an abundant habitat of unique natural beauty.
The proximity to Thessaloniki, the diversity of the beach, the crystal-clear blue-green waters, and the eerie beauty of the ship make the shipwreck of Epanomi one of the most popular beaches near the city and the wreck, an eco-tourist attraction.
above: a promot of The Calling. Below: The Calling's photography series
The Colour of Death [2022, The Red Sea]
A series of photos of coral in distress due to global warming.
The purple and blue colours is produced during the dying stages and before the coral turns white in a process known as coral bleaching. In the last 15 years, 30% of the world’s coral reefs have perished, and another 6% are expected to die in the next two years. Bleaching of this magnitude has not occurred for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Coral reefs comprise some of the planet's most biologically diverse and valuable ecosystems. Although reefs occupy only 0.2 per cent of the ocean's area worldwide, they are home to one-third of all sea life and support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, including about 4,000 species of fish, and 800 species of hard corals. It is estimated that 8 million (8,000,000) undiscovered plants and animals may live in or near coral reefs.
