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The estuary is a watery commons, a liquid ecosystem composed of multiple actors, organisms, matter & agencies. It is the undefined area in which the freshwaters of the river are entwined with the saline waters of the coastal environment. Also known as an ecotone, it is a shifting & moving meeting place between two biological communities, which are subject to the influences of tidal flows, wave patterns & the flux of salt & sediment.
these supple waters is a 2-channel video projection that uncovers ecological and industrial entanglements within the Thames and Blackwater estuaries, Essex. Historically, the estuaries in Essex have been used as dumping grounds for the city of London’s waste, resulting in a "toxic cocktail" of refuse material. More recently, many of these sites have ceased taking landfill and have been as declared areas of scientific interest due to their complex toxicity.
The video incorporates footage shot in Southend during a research residency and documentation of a choreographic workshop developed with dance artist Marta Ammendola at Pavilion Dance South West in June 2019. Using material gathered from the residency, such as passages of text, video & field recordings, the work responds to the estuarine landscapes and suggests the slow secretion of a toxic landscape, presenting the body as intermeshed and porous.
Credits:
Dance artist: Marta Ammendola
DoP: Amy Alicia/ Emily Hawes
Voiceover: Stella Kajombo
Textile work: Sophia Simensky
Supported by:
The Old Waterworks/ Arts Council England
The Artists' Information Company (a-n)
Pavilion Dance South West
Arts University Bournemouth
Thank you:
The Old Waterworks
Metal (Southend)
Pavilion Dance South West
Stacey Belbin
Annie Hill
Marta Ammendola
Amy Alicia
Stella Kajombo
Warren Harper
Sophia Simensky
Commissioned by TOW, 2019
