Geminate II creates a digital playground at Colonnade House in the heart of Worthing
People are seeing themselves in a different light as they are transformed into glowing shapes and colourful digital images captured by clever technology hidden behind the windows of Colonnade House. Geminate II has been designed by artists Jim Horsfield and Adam Seaman who work together as As Described. The installation is live every evening between 5pm and 10pm and people have been amazed and delighted by the playful way that the images respond to their movements.
As well as creating the images, the artists commissioned Oscar nominated composer Andrew Phillips to create a soundscape for the work inspired by Worthing. The unique musical score for the installation also captures locally recorded atmospheric sounds. In addition, West Sussex Library Services kindly granted access to the local oral history archive that has provided the voiced memories of life here nearly a century ago, and recollections of wartime West Sussex.
Andrew Phillips says -
“Because the installation involves two separate screens and speakers playing simultaneously, I wanted there to be music on one side and more ambient sound effects on the other. So I recorded the sea under the Pier, used the wind on the seafront to vibrate the strings on an Aeolian Harp, and those sounds became an inspiration for the music. The voices from the oral history archive are really the centrepiece of the whole soundtrack, their memories inviting us to reimagine the space in which we are moving and listening.”
As well as providing an innovative form of public art for people to enjoy, the project is also intended to support the development of the creative industries in Worthing. Students from Worthing College will be getting a behind-the-scenes tour that will give them insight into the technology behind this work which includes components from an X-Box, and there will be a follow-up event at St Paul’s in April for a wider debate about the art of interactive space.
Cllr Dr Heather Mercer, Executive Member for Customer Services at Worthing Borough Council, said: "Worthing is fast becoming a hub for creative and digital industries and is an emerging jacuzzi bubble of creativity. This is something we as a local authority are committed to nurture and develop.
This amazing exhibition is a perfect example of the council providing a platform for talented local artists to showcase their artistic skills to a regional audience. I urge everyone to go along and enjoy the spectacle."
The Geminate II project has been supported with public funding from Arts Council England and Worthing Borough Council and is part of the programme at Colonnade House, Worthing’s Creative Hub which has been set up with funding from the Coastal Communities Fund. The Creative Hub is managed jointly by Worthing Borough Council and Adur & Worthing Trust.
More details about the project can be found here: http://colonnadehouse.co.uk/event/geminate-ii/
For more information contact clare.halstead@adur-worthing.gov.uk 01903 221142