Art in the Open
A one day event where four very different artists were sited across the Greenwich Peninsula, inviting audiences to engage with the uniqueness of the area and to encounter a variety of contemporary art practices.
Melissa Bliss spent the day beachcombing along the foreshore of the Thames, and invited people to search for discarded objects old and new as the tide went out and to create installations with these found items on the sand. Responding to the environmental history of the area, Eleanor Margolies built molecular sculptures representing some of the chemical compounds found in the soil as a result of past industrial activity. Made with biodegradable materials such as willow and straw, the models were sown with the seeds of plants known to decontaminate the soil. Jan Hendrickse explored the sonic environment of the Peninsula, recording 'hidden' sounds from railings, bridges and other architectural structures. These collected recordings will be used to create an original musical composition. Taking on the persona of ‘The Waterwoman of Greenwich Peninsula’, Jo Roberts was located on one of the last remnants of the old waterfront, and presented passers-by with her intriguing findings about water in the area.