BURNING TIME
Folkestone Triennial Fringe 2017
BURNING TIME
Video Installation –
This is an accurate timepiece made from gunpowder.
It shows a 12 hour clock (showing both night and day) and runs on a 24 hour loop.
Hours, Minutes and Seconds are exactly marked by a series of small explosions.
It is viewed through a series of peepholes reminiscent of seaside amusement arcades in the past
As an art medium, gunpowder has a special relevance to Folkestone
as it was something normalised in the daily lives of soldiers preparing to leave to go to war.
The clock will be stopped on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Armistice Day
Inside the old fishing tackle arch – 2m by 2m video screen
Outside the arch – peepholes visible
Looking through the peepholes
BURNING NET – coming soon – Oct 2017
BURNING NET
A one off static performance that will be completed in a matter of minutes
but will leave lasting marks – gently fading over time.
Based on the fishermen’s nets that were once a daily part of Folkestone life,
these long nets were laid out or hung on the sides of the houses because when left outside they could spontaneously combust.
This piece is a reminder of those dramatic moments of an element out of control.
The net is created with 500m meters of fuse cord.
Hung on the site where the old nets used to be dried, against a pale wall for maximum impact, and then ignited,
the scorch marks will leave a poetic record of the event and of the pattern of the net itself and those previous nets from Folkestone’s past.
There is a continuing resonance with Folkestone’s past as a significant site in the history of the WW1
A video recording of the full performance will be available.