Wetlands shortlisted for the

Medway's Culture, Design and Tourism 2015 award !!!!

In the picture from the left Nadia and Georgina of Wetlands team.

21 June, 2015

Wetlands Exhibition Review

A group of graduating artists called “Wetlands”, inspired or, I would rather say, maddened by a quantity of abandoned places throughout the Medway area have organized an open-air exhibition in Hoo St Werburgh’s disregarded riverside of the River Medway. Followed by the cared-for Hoo Marina’s look the riverside should have had a promising visual appearance, which, unfortunately, is not the case. A formidable variety of the tree species along with animals and insects are in constant danger of extinction because of the river’s toxic fumes evaporation and soils pollution. Nevertheless, it is still being used by people to take a walk with their dogs. 

When I first had an opportunity to have a look at this area I was undoubtedly sure, that the motif is similar to that of Bulldozer Exhibition organized by Moscow avant-garde artists on September 15, 1974. It was this idea of protest that seemed so appealing, especially in such a polluted area. Even though we accept the whole Wetlands event as a given, without getting into far-fetched ideas and historical references there is one natural reference which seems to rule the whole event - the tide. 

The tide was coming up and down twice a day. This has forced the group to postpone the installation of artworks until the first day of an actual exhibition. Some of the artists were installing their work fifteen minutes before the settled deadline because the tide has not gone out far enough at the time everybody expected. As an artist who was taking part in this exhibition, I have spent three hours in the morning trying to clear out ten meters of a shore that I have used as good as I can. Half an hour later I have realized that the tide is not going to spare me. It was ready to reach its maximum that day. Everything that has been cleared out was now spread across the shore even smoother than it was before. Moreover, it seemed that the River Medway has carried some more city waste to “equalize” riverside’s surface in the most urban-idealistic way. The only escape for me was to scale a tree and helplessly observe the devastation. 

It is now worth to recognize Bulldozer Exhibition again. Artworks that have not been placed safely in the very end of the riverside’s edge, hung in the trees, hidden in rocks or shrubs looked like they are rioters themselves. They were still, swoon artists who confronted “the unavoidable” by their presence only, similar to what artists of Soviet Union did when stood against the repressive political regime. Despite the overall stress and inability to find a physical escape for both myself and my work, I have spent three hours sitting on a tree and waiting for the tide to go away. It was, perhaps, the best three meditative hours that has led me to certain conclusions regarding the benefits of an open air exhibition.

The format of the Wetlands riverside exhibition has definitely benefited from such a gothic romanticism brought by the tide. It is this question of where does the gothic has its source. It is either the natural power that terrifies us, or ourselves that constantly try to become “greener” without any tangible result. 

Meanwhile, the tide acts as an equalizer of its own kind. It destroys whatever matter artist has set up or stranger has thrown away. It acts as if it was a political regime of an ultimate truth. It bangs with its own impossibility to change the way things go. It is what it is, and it leaves us what we passionately try to get rid of and produce at the same time- rubbish.

by Kate Fj

18 June, 2015

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Thank you so much for joining us. We had a great time!