Into the woods

The artist responsible for the street piano project Play Me I’m Yours and last summer’s Park Street waterslide is bringing his latest project to Leigh Woods.

Luke Jerram’s new installation, Withdrawn, will see visitors experiencing an unexpected encounter with a flotilla of abandoned fishing boats.

The fleet – all pointing the same way as if turned by the tide – can be explored by the public, while at night the boats’ navigation lights will come on, blinking eerily.

The thought-provoking exhibition aims to invite discussion about climate change, extreme weather, changing ocean temperatures, falling fish stocks and our impact on the marine environment.

Luke’s aim with the installation is to raise awareness around the decline of the fishing industry in the South West.

“There was a time when a man could make money from one small fishing boat, but for the past 50 years the seas around us have been so overfished that commonly this is no longer financially viable,” he explains.

“Many scientists and statisticians believe that there’s just two per cent of the fish left in the ocean now, compared to 150 years ago before the industrialisation of fishing. Even if current fish stocks were to double, that’d still be only four per cent of what they once were!”

The installation is also a response to the extreme weather and apocalyptic imagery we’ve seen in the media recently – Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Japan, and even closer to home during the floods on the Somerset Levels last winter, where cars were floating down streets and houses submerged in water.

The positioning of these boats in Leigh Woods presents a similarly uncanny scenario that reminds us of a possible future if we don’t address climate change now.

Luke endeavours to make artwork that can be appreciated by different audiences in different ways. “A small child might appreciate this installation in one way, whilst a curator, lawyer, fisherman or scientist might consider the artwork very differently.”

There have been complaints, primarily online, about public funding for the arts coming from Bristol City Council. Assumptions have been made about the funding for Withdrawn – but Luke is able to clarify this one.

“We have had no financial assistance from the council. The National Trust, which cares for part of Leigh Woods, is working in partnership with Forestry Commission England to make Withdrawn open for the public to explore.”

The piece was commissioned by the National Trust’s Trust New Art Bristol contemporary art programme and is being delivered in partnership with Forestry Commission England’s Forest Art Works programme as part of Bristol 2015.

It is one of six arts projects funded by the Arts Council England Exceptional Fund as part of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, aiming to help make sustainable living accessible and easy to understand. The Bristol 2015 arts and culture projects are being delivered by national portfolio organisation the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership.

Another of Luke’s ideas for which received coverage recently was his plan to cover the towers of the Suspension Bridge in gold. “So far, the idea has been no more than a Photoshop mock-up. I create proposals and mock-ups like this all the time. I have a database of over 200 art projects that are waiting to be commissioned. Some ideas never get released: others can wait 10 years before coming into being. I released the mock-up of the Suspension Bridge to gauge public appetite. Some people loved the simple idea, others were not so keen.

“By its very nature, public artwork can never please everybody, especially if it’s going to reach hundreds of thousands of people across a city. There are always going to be a percentage of people who don’t like what you’re doing – whether you are making an artwork, building a road, closing a public space or building a stadium. The good thing about a lot of the artwork that I create is that it’s temporary, so there is less reason for the minority of the public to be that outraged. I listen to criticism and digest it, but it won’t stop me working as an artist and making artwork I feel should come into being.”

Withdrawn opens on Friday, April 17 in Leigh Woods, with an accompanying events programme including nightwalks, performances, interactive arts and concerts. Visit www.lukejerram.com for more information.