ODYSSEY: EXPLORATIONS
ODYSSEY: EXPLORATIONS - THE DIGITAL JOURNEY
23 August 2019 Royal Albert Dock Liverpool
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YOUTUBE
Odyssey: Explorations - The installation (7 mins) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4VNFGcp-Iw Odyssey: Explorations - Documentary Film (14 mins) www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzQhj65YIP0&t=27sYOUTUBE The downloadable Online Brochure is translated into Arabic, Chinese and French. 
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Fion Gunn has created a new digital art installation which will transform the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool into an outdoor exhibition space, with two linked films and a trail of Augmented Reality vessels to mark Slavery Remembrance Day. Two evocative short films – one wall projected, the other floor projected – were screened at the Tate Group Reception Room and in the Mann Island Atrium outside Open Eye Gallery. Between both two venues and leading to the Maritime Museum/International Slavery Museum, Gunn created a digital trail of her imagined vessels which visitors to the Royal Albert Dock could follow. A free downloadable App available to all allowed the public to view these vessels – boats & spaceships as augmented reality pop-ups. Gunn’s work has been described by visitors to Tate Exchange Liverpool as ‘inspirational’, ‘absolutely wonderful and inspiring!’, ‘Exciting’, “Amazing how you play with perspective and sensations”, ‘Completely blown away! A team of artists showed visitors to the Dock how to access the augmented reality app and follow instructions the trail of markers posted along the route. The ‘Island’ which lay at the heart of the Odyssey: Explorations exhibition sited beside the Open Eye Gallery also featured the pop-ups. A public discussion with Fion Gunn and Dr Gabriele Macho was held in the Tate Group Reception Room looking at human migration from an evolutionary perspective On Slavery Remembrance Day it was an occasion for us to remember that forced migrations, human trafficking, ethnic cleansing and disrespect for our fellow human beings are not just historic - they are happening right now. ODYSSEY: EXPLORATIONS WITH TATE EXCHANGE LIVERPOOL & MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL Interactive Exhibition 16-21 JULY 2019 Nearly 3000 people of all ages and nationalities visited the interactive exhibition in just 6 days - the digital artwork was the next stage of the project. Visitors left amazingly positive feedback and the space was buzzing with interest and enthusiasm all week long. The 'island' & waterway installations became the focus of for hundreds of workshop participants who moored their boats - often in the strangest of places. I wanted to explore the impact of transformative personal journeys in our lives and to set this against a backdrop of the global movement of peoples, cultures, materials and ideas. The project is inspired by Homer's narrative describing Odysseus’s journey as he made his way home to Ithaca in the aftermath of the Trojan war. This is a story of obstacles and hardships, errors of judgement and lessons learned, which can be understood as an ultimate metaphor for our human condition, for the experience of life itself. Odyssey: Explorations encompassed the creation of a ‘pathway artwork’, with performative events and workshops exploring ideas, memories of and feelings about home and identity, through diverse lenses: Evolution of Culture; Mental & Physical health and of course - Future Migrations. A big thank you to the invigilators at Tate Liverpool who provided wonderful encouragement to the public throughout. Tate Exchange Liverpool: project site And of course to Arts Council England without their support the project could not have happened. PROJECT EVENTS:
Movement of Peoples : Risks & Benefits - Presentation exploring the health implications of all kinds of travel at Tate Exchange Liverpool - 18 July 3-5pm Guest speakers: Dr Sebastian Kalwij GP & Adi Lehrer from British Red Cross 'Portals of Discovery: Art of Exploration, Exploration of Art - Presentation, Discussion (argument encouraged!) at Liverpool Central Library - 17 July 6-8pm | ||