Artists will recreate Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in miniature at Cambridge swimming pool

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1 PRESS RELEASE HeHe, Liz Ballard, Bettina Furnée, Anne-Mie Melis Invisible Dust at Cambridge Science Festival curated by Alice Sharp LAUNCH EVENT: 6-9pm Thursday 17th March EXHIBITION OPEN: Fri 18th March - Sun 20th March 12:00pm - 9:00pm VENUE: Jesus Green Lido, Chesterton Rd, Cambridge, CB43AX Artists will recreate Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in miniature at Cambridge swimming pool Image: HeHe, Is there a horizon in the deep water? Is there a horizon in the deep water? HeHe (Helen Evans and Heiko Hansen) At approximately 9:45 p.m on April 20, 2010, methane gas from the well, under high pressure, shot all the way up and out of the drill column, expanded onto the BP platform, and then ignited and exploded. Fire then engulfed the platform and killed 11 people. Efforts by multiple ships to douse the flames were unsuccessful. After burning for approximately 36 hours, BP s Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig sank off the US Gulf of Mexico on the morning of April 22, Artists Helen Evans and Heiko Hansen (collectively known as "HeHe") will use the open air swimming pool at Jesus Green in Cambridge to recreate in miniature the

2 disaster which caused the largest ever recorded marine oil spill causing immense damage to ocean and coastal wildlife habitats. Their performance will however have no environmental impact upon the waters of the Jesus Green Lido. Renowned internationally for their architectural transformations that play with scale HeHe s performances and installations are always compelling. HeHe s artwork is part of the Invisible Breath 2011 a series of commissions in Cambridge, Norwich and London supported by the Wellcome Trust. Jesus Green Water Feature (water recirculation system I) Liz Ballard Image: Liz Ballard Untitled (still life with four black objects), 2010 Liz Ballard s work is concerned with notions of the temporal, with working methods that explore the activity of drawing as a performative trace. The drawing always exhibits the residual, or trace of the process responsible for its germination. Jesus Green Water Feature is a site-specific work, which recirculates the water in the pool, creating a temporary feature for the Lido. Pumping a continuous jet of water into the air activates movement and interaction between water and sediment, and disturbs the usual topography of the pool. The work has been inspired by the artist s collaboration with Dr Kevin Hiscock, a hydrologist, at the University of East Anglia who specialises in water pollution. During her residency at UEA she visited the Environmental Sedimentary Fluid Dynamics Laboratory situated within the School of Environmental Sciences. The laboratory houses equipment for undertaking physical experiments on sediment and water flow, to aid the study of turbulence and the mixing of pollutants. Also presented is Untitled (still life with four black objects), a slideshow documenting the transmutation of objects from solid frozen pigment to liquid form. It challenges the process and traditional idea of the drawing by unrendering the still life image.

3 N.B. The artworks created by artists HeHe and Liz Ballard have been produced from a two month residency with scientists Professor Peter Brimblecombe, atmospheric chemist (researching air pollution) and Dr Kevin Hiscock, hydrologist (specialist in water pollution) from the Environmental Sciences Department, University of East Anglia (UEA) Lines of Defence Bettina Furnée & Tim Sidell, sound design Nicholas Ryall Time-lapse film, 29 minutes Image: Lines of Defence Bettina Furnée & Tim Sidell Coastal erosion is a known phenomenon but because it happens so slowly we cannot actually watch it. Not until now that is... using time-lapse cinematography 'Lines of Defence' by artist Bettina Furnée is a film which shows land being eaten by the sea. The artist positioned thirty eight flags one meter apart, on cliffs at Bawdsey in Suffolk. Letters on the flags spell out the words Submission is advancing at a frightful speed, a reference to climate change. Edited to reflect the rhythms of time and the seasons, the film documents the disappearance of 17 metres of land. Over the period of one year the camera recorded a single frame image every 15 minutes. The dramatic footage ends when the final flag falls into the sea. Blind Petunias Anne-Mie Melis Using time-lapse photography this animation entitled Blind Petunias shows the growth of both mutant and normal Petunia flowers. We observe the slow movements of plants influenced by the cycle of day and night. The contrasting development of mutant and normal flowers becomes clear to the viewer. We see plants with fused floral organs, flowers unable to open or with missing petals, seemingly blind to their surrounding environment.

4 Image: Blind Petunias by Anne-Mie Melis Anne-Mie Melis, artist in residence in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University nurtured the Blind Petunias from seed to flowering plant. Over a period of 100 days 58 plants were grown from four mutant and WT Petunia lines. This depiction of petunia mutants illustrates the infinite possibilities and also the increased responsibility that comes with our increasing knowledge of plant cultivation and ability to control and influence our environment. The Jesus Green Lido exhibition is accompanied by family workshops and a talk by the artists and scientists: Invisible Dust Family Workshops: Sat 19th March, 10-4pm, Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, CB2 1RW Scientists from King s College, London and artists will enable you measure air pollution, create breath drawings to uncover the invisible. Artists and Scientists Talk: How do artists and scientists work together? Invisible Dust at Jesus Green Lido, Artists and Scientists Talk Mon 21st March at 6-7pm. University Centre, CB2 1RU UEA Environmental Scientists and artists HeHe and Liz Ballard will speak about the work they have created at Jesus Green Lido on the effects of air and water pollution. Contact: Simon Steven Invisible Dust Press Office (UK) Tel: simon@simonsteven.net Notes for Editors: About Invisible Dust Invisible Dust is a commissioning organisation that works with leading artists and scientists to produce new and exciting works of contemporary art. It provides the

5 opportunity for both disciplines to share and explore common ground. Invisible Dust aims to produce significant and far reaching artists commissions in the Public Realm both in the UK and internationally, as well as supporting the creation of new scientific ideas whilst engaging audiences with large scale events, education and community activities. Invisible Dust was founded by Alice Sharp who has worked as an Independent Curator of projects with visual artists in the Public Realm since Sharp set up Invisible Dust to involve Artists and Scientists in exploring the effects of climate change and pollution. About the Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests. About the Cambridge Science Festival This year the Cambridge Science Festival takes place from March and celebrates the International Year of Chemistry. It covers the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics with a range of over 150 engaging events and exhibitions for children and adults alike. The festival, run by the University of Cambridge, last year had 35,000 people attend events. It regularly holds events with Kettle's Yard and works alongside artists to produce displays including one at the Cambridge Botanic Gardens in