January 2012
44 posts
Themes
Movement;
Tidal rise & fall;
Dancing shadows;
Vertigo - rising levels;
Repetition;
Reflection - play on glass / water;
Performers; Prior Fleet;
“Scarper falls to his death”…
Narrative
Absent, Peter, Mark, Bert Nigel. The Priors. Forgotten performers now rotting alongside the banks of Thames gateway.
The tide table draws each ventilated breath in section.
As the water rises, it draws in the last performing characters. Francesca vs James. Working in partnership to put on a show. The crowd congregate and await high tide - the pathway to performance.
Arteries fill with oxygen...
Water Drawn Section
The tide is used as a tool to generate organic forms and compositions; A sketch exploration of curve geometry, exploiting operations of scale, rotation and repetition to manipulate simple forms into unique configurations.
The constant repetition in the rise and fall of the tidal waves breathes life into the creek. A tower, rising from the shallows, is intermittently inhabited by the raw and...
Dancing Waters
To Follow: The tide table draws each ventilated breath in section.
Commencment begins at the start of Gateway Games (6) through project exploration and expiration.
Data taken from the Thames tidal marine section from the met office. Specific to the River Ravensbourne - a tributary of the Thames - on the tideway of Deptford where it’s tidal reach is known as Deptford Creek.
Organic forms...
River Traffic : Water to Bankside Access
1. Upper Watergate Stairs : good condition and access.
2. Lower Watergate Stairs : no trace.
3. Billingsgate Dock Stairs : no trace.
4. Hoy Stairs (Deptford Creek) poor condition, access possible through broken fence.
5. Garden Stairs : good condition, gate locked.
Note. Site of Billingsgate Dock is just upstream, with short set of stairs, good access, gate locked.
6....
Shadows
Appearing at will during daylight hours and conditioned by electrics at night; a conscious but involuntary movement.
For every one day of recurring shadows that appear, the tide will rise and fall, completing 2 cycles of life.
The repetitive breath of shadows meander the surface of the creek; the most fleeting inhabitants, naturally animating the landscape.
Towers surface, creating a canvas...
Background
Deptford; a district of South London, located on the south bank of the River Thames. Named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, from the mid 16th century to the late 19th century it was home to the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.
Deptford’s history and population has mainly been associated with the docks; established by Henry VIII.
The area declined as the Royal Navy departed. Soon...
Abstract
Deptford Creek
Title: Performance Platform
Inhale. A sharp, in-take of breath. The snake meanders. Diaphragmatic contractions causes lung expansion. It’s ribs are stretched. A riverside escape. Climb the ladder. Relief from the currents. The river bed concealed.
The power of the daily tidal surge breathes life into its heart; key to the survival of regeneration.
The sister...
