Dear Cardigan community,
I recently had a phone conversation with Mr. Ralph Rae, organizer of the petition against my floating art installation “Turbulence”, and he kindly put me in touch with the issues that concern him about the project. I would like to share with you my thoughts on the issues he raised.
Mr. Rae informed me of the large number of people who have signed his petition. I told him that if I lived in Cardigan I would likewise sign it, as the results of the scientific tests on the project’s impact on the environment have not been published yet. As it happens, today we received the report from the Aquatic Scientists and we will be posting it soon at www.cardiganbigart.com for all to see. Their conclusions are very positive and I am happy that the project will have no impact on Cardigan’s wildlife, a source of pride, beauty and income for the region.
On the subject of the piece being an obstruction for navigation, Mr. Rae was not convinced that the relocation of the project to the Strand would suffice. He warned me that the water level can be very low during August and September and that either the piece would get stuck in the mud or drift to the centre of the river, potentially becoming a navigational hazard for small boats. This is in fact one of the reasons why we are designing the installation as a “boat” which can be easily towed away. My thinking about Turbulence is that it could be a seasonal project which is in Cardigan when the conditions are right and maybe it can even travel to other towns in Wales and the World: the piece would collect voices along the way for playback when back at home. Of course, in a town with other seasonal residents, such as the Keewaydin or spawning Salmon, a “migratory artwork” might make poetic sense!
Mr. Rae was very concerned with people recording obscenities on the installation. I explained to him how in my experience with doing participatory art projects people typically self-moderate when participating as it is very similar to speaking in other public places: people will literally see participants at the microphone, hear their voice, and if they are saying some slander, for example, it is not unlike what would happen if they did so at a park. I also explained that the sounds are quiet, play in concert with other sounds only every 6 hours, and that they are mixed in with voice recordings from prominent Welsh archives. Then Mr. Rae made a good point which I agree with: it is much more difficult to prevent “moronic input” from the internet as people can remain anonymous and potentially abuse the system. As a reaction to this I would consider dropping the internet component from the project altogether, as online censorship is not an option that I am willing to contemplate and I agree that controlling remote participants would be impossible. Despite this concession, the poetic impact of diverse participation would be preserved if the project tours as proposed above.
Many people have expressed concern about the cost of the project. I reminded Mr. Rae of three fundamental facts:
1) the money is mostly coming from independent funders outside of the region who believe in the role of art in public space –this money is not being taken away from any other Cardigan budget and sadly will not enter the region if the project is cancelled;
2) the money is used in large part to hire locals to manufacture and maintain the piece, creating direct economic benefit;
3) the project will generate tourism revenue, and the fact that Channel 4 will broadcast nationally already guarantees publicity to ensure this is the case. The concern over the long-term maintenance of the project is understandable, but it is not unlike what happens when a town installs a public fountain for example: there is the need to replace rusty valves, to keep the water clean, to change light bulbs, and so on. The project budget has a provision to ensure that the piece can be maintained for several years, including a renovation to the Strand area, which will complete the work started on Prince Charles Quay and create a pleasant public space for the town.
On the subject of whether my piece is appropriate for the region, I can say that the piece is inspired by two main features of the town that captivated me. On the one hand the fact that the Eisteddfod originated in Cardigan highlights the importance of oral traditions, poetry and song in Welsh culture and I believe Turbulence will capture this nicely. Not only because people’s live voices literally “make the work” but also because their recordings will be mixed in with emblematic archival sound material that will be carefully selected from sources such as the National Library in Aberystwyth, the Museum of Welsh Life (St Fagan’s) and BBC Wales. The other inspiration was the river itself, with its spectacular ebbs and flows which are a suitable metaphor for the Welsh Diaspora, for the ideas and goods which were traded throughout Cardigan’s history as an important port, and mostly as it connects us fundamentally to natural cycles of life in this planet.
My plan now is to have an initial temporary floating of the piece in early April, in time for Channel 4 to be able to record it. This “maiden voyage” will help us assess any improvements we could make in design or execution of the piece, while letting the community experience the project. The final piece would then come back not later than spring 2010, when the Strand has been renovated and the improvements undertaken. It seems to me that some people have the impression that the piece will be a loud and flashy Vegas-style light show, but I trust the moment they see it they will ratify that in fact it is a quiet, reflective, respectful piece with sound and light levels that are chosen in consultation with the community.
I am not sure that Mr. Rae was convinced by my arguments, he let me know that the protest will continue, but I do thank him for talking to me and therefore helping me change the project to address most of his concerns. I also thank all the substantial number of people from the town who have been contacting me and sharing their desire to see the project realized.
21 users commented in " OPEN LETTER TO CARDIGAN FROM RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThis is obviously a very well thought out project by a professional artist and I would happily travel the 250 mile journey to see it in situ. I only wish our local councils were as open and forward thinking to be able to host such a project in my local area!
Well KGB, you can have ours and save yourself the drive.
You must be nuts.
A bunch balls, not in our river thanks but no thanks!
OR I could bung 127 white plastic footballs in the river and a bunch of sound to light leds and charge some sucker art consortium ÂŁ650000+
job done!
If he can’t be bothered to research how to spell Eisteddfod then he shouldn’t be allowed to meddle with on-goings at Cardigan. It’s a tight lit community with decades of history and culture, why change that?
Ha ha! ‘Why bother?’ comment: I love the logic of it - he miss spells something, so he shouldn’t be able to bring his art to Cardigan. That’s just brilliant! However, hopefully we will keep tight ‘liped’ about it.
And in answer to your question: I would agree that innovative art is invariably provocative, and to that end can be the vehicle for cultural change. However neither history nor culture are constants, it is naive to believe that they are.
Thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake in the English text, I’ve corrected it
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer certainly knows how to touch spectators and encourage dialogue with his work. All of these comments are proof of it! Very best luck with the project!
Mr Lozenge - Hammer didn’t even have the decency to spell Mr Rea’s name correctly either.
But he had always stated that if the people of Cardigan did not want the artwork on their river, then he would withdraw it. Is he trying to wriggle out of his promise on the false assumption that the protestors only signed the petition on the basis of its effect on the local wildlife and that somehow they will now accept it on the basis of a report commissioned by two of the organisations who have a vested interest in it proceeding?
And what of his suggestion that the artwork will be on the river seasonally, being towed away to other places dependent on the tidal situation on the river? So although Cardigan was awarded this project because the town wanted to attract tourists, some might now arrive in the town to find that the artwork has been towed elsewhere! You really could not make it up!
Why are people still so narrow minded when it comes to art? This is 2009. He is not proposing something which is controversial, he is proposing something beautiful.
Have you people got nothing better to do than criticise his spelling? Do you never make mistakes? More to the point would you be able to write such an eloquent letter in a language that is not your first?
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has worked very hard to produce a piece of art influenced by Cardigan and all you can do is criticise. Did you complain so much about the otter? Do thousands of people flock to Cardigan to see the otter?
This artwork would enchance an already beautiful area, it will bring in tourists, create employment and give you a talking point. Yet all you do is complain.
It will not have an effect on the environment and it will not cost local people money in fact it will more than likely generate money for the local economy. There are far more important things that you can be complaining about.
If you have a genuine reason for complaining then so be it but from what i can see you are just opposing it for the sake of it. All of the main reasons that you have for opposing the work have now been proven wrong so all you can do is come up with petty excuses not have it.
Open your eyes and minds it will do you no harm. It may even do you some good.
Good luck Rafael. Not all British people are so narrow minded.
It is a huge shame that the wider community of Cardigan have not been as receptive as the focus group. I think the concept of this peice is beautiful, but perhaps it would be better appreciated elsewhere in Wales? The artist clearly doesnt want to be provocative, he just wants others to share his vision, and it must be fustrating that the opposition has been so strong. I hope it doesnt put him off working in smaller towns in the future, big cities get all the best art!
Or perhaps a giant floating otter would be more appropriate.
i like it as long as the otter lights up and emits otter-esque noises.
Blimey, as a Londoner, I am envious of Cardigan! How fortunate to have a RL-H project! I stumbled across his work by chance during the 2007 Venice art fair and was completely bowled over by the participative and interactive qualities of his art. I was really impressed by a piece that he had made specifically for Venice that vividly evoked the bobbing and swaying of the canal buses, which had thrilled me as a visitor to that city. That was an interactive piece too. He really captured the spirit of the place in this artwork, in a celebratory way, so I would have every confidence that he would deliver the same for Cardigan.
In his remarks above, RL-H shows himself to be thoughtful and imaginative, and very respectful of and reflective upon the culture and positive qualities of the community and its history. This places him way ahead of much public art, which can be pompous or self-serving. A really impressive work “Under Scan” was shown in Trafalgar Square for ten nights last November, and friends of mine came from Holland to see it. If this project goes ahead, I will for sure will not be alone in coming to visit, and that can only be good for Cardigan.
RL-H’s work usually uses advanced technology, but it’s not about technology, and it’s not gimmicky and every work is very distinct. I get the impression that his focus is on the idea, and technology then gets applied to achieve the result rather than to be self-aggrandizing. Typically with his work, it’s the audience that get’s to do the “showing off”…!
My favorite piece of his is “Pulse Room” a darkened space in which 100 light bulbs softly beat on an off in different rhythms creating a sort of Milky Way star-twinkle effect. Best of all was to hold a sensor, which triggers all the light bulbs to go off except one, which then started to beat with my own heart rhythm, before it’s pulse was transferred to the closest bulb, and it became clear that the soft pulsations of the bulbs were the heart beats of the last one hundred visitors. Wow, romantic, humanist, fun, and actually beautiful. Not bad for a bit of technology, eh?
I am sorry that Mr Ralf Rae appears still not to be convinced. I would have a RL-H work in my “back yard” anytime! Congratulations Cardigan!
I think the ignorance and rudeness that has been directed towards the artist by a minority reflects badly on all of Cardigan’s inhabitants.
The artist was commissioned by a committee from Cardigan and he has produced a design that fulfils a brief given to him by members of the town itself.
Love or hate the artwork, please, let’s grow up.
I agree with Ann! Grow up Cardigan!
It is understandable that people who have not been in touch modern art out of personal interest are skeptical towards the forms of modern art, ie: as they put it, they don’t want “balls”. They’d have an easier time liking and trusting the goodness of a great painting. It is only understandable but you should relax for a little moment.
Once this is done (if they let him), they will realize that all they have in their town is something that makes them world famous and, who would have thought it, turns them into a glamurous place in the world, which will surely bring joy and smiles.
And not only it does that but it is completely intellectually respectable. Its intentons are good and as caring and appreciative of their culture as possible - and communicating that to the rest of the world.
Resistance against foreigners and against modern art is natural. It makes sense and it is there for good reasons. But it’s a shame because there is no reason to impose resistance to this project in this particular case.
Rafael is just loving Cardigan and treating it as best as possible. Think of it a bit and see it.
There are several points that should be taken on board by some of these posters before they make any comment, as without this knowledge, they cannot justify their stance.
Take Ann’s comment above as an example. She talks of a minority of locals against the project. The number of signatories on a petition against it at over 4500, is actually numerically greater than the recorded local population, so it is not a minority, but a majority.
The essence of the Public Art project on Channel 4 is that the artwork should be chosen by the ordinary public. This was indeed the case for all of the other projects apart from Cardigan’s. That was chosen by Jim Evans and others on its steering committee who have a vested interest in it, precluding them from being labelled as members of the general public. In fact, there is a complaint in front of the Ombudsman along the lines that some on the steering committee were also on the planning committee and had not declared an interest and withdrawn from voting on it.
Rem Finchley’s comment might well be the most apposite of all, though. Might it be that Lozano-Hemmer deliberately chose the most provocative and controversial artwork he could, purely for selfish publicity for himself? If the piece is not allowed to proceed, headlines in the Art world will proclaim that the piece is unwanted by local Philistines. If it goes ahead but is then vandalised, it gets the same sort of attention. The piece plays back peoples’ voices, so almost certainly there will be obscene language recorded by it, therefore controversy again. He must have almost certainly considered that there would be protests from the Wildlife lobby too.
Jaume Plensa is told by the St Helens steering group that they are not happy with his Mining Lamp sculpture and goes away and comes up with something fanstastic instead. Lozano-Hemmer tells us that he has not enough imagination to rethink this artwork, despite the knowledge that a majority of the locals do not want it.
E-Angel begins by saying that the artist is not proposing something controversial, but something beautiful, thus losing any credibility in the first sentence. All the usual stuff that ensues about people being narrow minded if they are against it, that they will grow to love it once it’s there, that only the arty-farty brigade are qualified to know what we really ought to have as we do not know what is good for us, is the usual arrogant self-centred claptrap we have come to expect.
The brief of the Channel 4 Big Art project was that the artwork should be chosen by the local Public and approved by the local community. The Cardigan project failed to satisfy that criteria on both counts and then people wonder why the locals are angry.
This is a beautiful project. I visited Cardigan briefly last year and thought it was a very lovely town, and can see that the artwork proposed would enhance the natural beauty of the place, and allow people to interact with it and spend time by the river.
From what I have seen on Channel 4 I feel that the artist has been respectful and inspired by the area… and also very patient!
Hopefully now that the environmental report has shown that fears for the local wildlife are negligible, the project can go ahead. If so, I will definitely be returning, with my family in tow. Congratulations.
I am dismayed by the narrow-mindedness, obstinancy and total lack of imagination of these philistines from Cardigan. I echo the comments of the more intelligent postings here - this is a jaw-droppingly beautiful and innovative project. It is not Tracey Emin’s unmade bed for god sake! I am not one for stereotypes but I am tempted to agree that small towns breed small minds.
i have just watched all four of the Big Art programmes on Channel 4 OD and feel quite morose about the current absence of openness within Cardigan compared to the other projects. In all of them people often had quite clear and firm views at the beginning of the project and in all of them, other than Cardigan, people seemed much more open to shifting their views - sometimes quite substantially. This was also true in the Cardigan programme with the former Mayor and other gentleman with the magnificent beard. There were two open meetings, the artist said he would not go ahead without a mandate, he got that mandate from the vote in the open meeting (and was quite obviously very moved that he did so) and then seems to have written a very respectful letter to Mr Rae addressing his concerns. So the current situation feels very sad indeed and perhaps says much more about local and personal animosities than about the art. I imagine it would be a thing of beauty to hear Mr. Rae and others mellifluous Welsh voices emanating from that soulful site. Let’s hope it may still happen…
good art challenges us and makes us face our own closures.
great art makes us proud to be alive
- bad art is a waste of time-
no art makes us less than human.
I prefer great art - but i can live with good -
you have to decide for yourselves
yes I would go to see this project from england and yes i would spend money in the town
its not so much about whether the project fits cardigan - really the question is does the town fit the artwork
Well no artwork now, ÂŁ200,000 down the pan that would have been spent local to make the project. It was only temporary, it could have been moved and now it’s non existent, so much for supporting the local economy.
It’s not the people of Cardigan who oppose it, it’s the vocal minority from outside of Cardigan.
DIOLCH O’R FYN NGHALON
Back to the Rat on the Rock!