Open Departure Exhibition - The Thames Estuary, Tilbury

Full Programme of 2016 Estuary, Points of Departure

The Thames Estuary, Tilbury, was once a gateway connection London to the rest of the world and often the first part of the UK seen by many migrants and travellers over the years. This in itself would compose the idea that it must be inviting and impressive to the new views. This from an artist point of view would be a great opportunity to display your work were it could be truly appreciated by newcomers. 
Now Tilbury gallery is contemporary art gallery for a wide range of artists that are interested by the buildings history and the Thames river that flows along the side of the building. 

Artists there seem to respond to the Thames which is really part of the gallery. In Tilbury Cruise Terminal from the 17th of September till the 30th of September, when 26 contemporary artists displayed their work which I went to view. Given the history of the Terminal the artists all cover the theme of departure, migration and connection tot he rest of the world. The artists have all used this theme in their own way by putting their own ideas, memories, story's and travelling that they have done to create their practice. Throughout the Points of Departure the artist work in sound, film, photography and installation.

A perfect example of this was Gideon Mendel, Drowning World 2007 - 2015

Gideon Mendel, Drowning World 2007 - 2015

His pieces being displayed on the outside of the building facing the Thames as if the people in the photographs were looking into what was surrounding them. Water. This being a great way to display the work walking along the board walk with the faces of these flood victims staring at you. There heads just above eye level as if they were looking down at you. The scale of these pieces made them very successful in overwhelming the viewer and making them feel empathy for the victims.
In fact all the pieces in this exhibition were very well curated with the use of appropriate placing for the scale of the pieces.

Another example of this was Adam Chodzko, Ghost (2010 – 2016)

Adam Chodzko, Ghost (2010 – 2016) 

This piece was The first piece we saw walking into the great warehouse it was very ominous and overwelming suspended about 10 feet from the floor. It gave the sense of something watching over us as if a Ghost were in the room (making the title of the piece very fitting). When looking straight ahead and not up at the Ghost above you there was a very sinister looking little building in the centre of the warehouse to enter. This is where there were small TV's in all the 4 rooms each with a different journey the ghost went on as the TV's explained the canoe was a performance piece taking people along the Thames in the canoe with them laid down in the front with their faces covered. As if they were in a coffin floating away from reality. The rooms were filled with the static of the old TV's and the splash of the water again the canoe.

The little building these rooms were in was very dilapidated and the interior was covered in dirt and decay with the paint on the walls peeling off. almost as if the building were dead just like you were supposed to feel in the canoe. 

Overall the exhibition was a great experience, the theme of the exhibition fitted in so well with the location and there was a wide range of pieces from photography to sound and from ceramics to performance.  

Within these picture you can see that Mendel is eye level with the survivors, this means that he was also in the water showing how it is to be in their shoes to uncomfortable experience that they was in. Throughout this "Drowning World" series Mendel travels to the UK, India, Haiti, Pakistan, Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh and the USA. These photographs also show the different life styles of all of the flood victims, from all types of people, poor, rich, workers but at this time nothing maters what they are or was all in the same shoes as one and other.