Interior Design Blog

Art project Flow soon to alight on Northamptonshire's waterways
September 13, 2011

By Kim Heinz

A spectacular set of site specific artworks are soon to alight on Northamptonshire's scenic waterways. Entitled Flow and commissioned from Britain's leading artists, it forms part of the East Midlands Igniting Ambition Festival and the UK's Cultural Olympiad, with the first striking commission by environmental artist Steve Messam.

Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the modern history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the largest outdoor installation in the UK. Flow aims to raise the profile of the ancient county, to draw attention to the importance of Northamptonshire's waterways and to inspire all those who witness the extraordinary artworks.

Echoing Northamptonshire county's renown for spire architecture, renowned artist Steve Messam will create a series of spire forms, to be located in a mile-long trail on England's most picturesque waterways: in August on the Oxford Canal, and in September on the River Nene outside the historic market town of Oundle.

The spires will create new vistas down the canal and river, working with the shapes and textures of the surrounding landscape. The materials used to create these structures will reflect both the traditions of narrow boat building and the county's long-standing connection with leather.

Using a combination of LED lighting, digital film projection and high powered lasers, Jo Fairfax will create an installation to illuminate and animate Northamptonshire's iconic water towers. The work will also pay homage to an arcane national landmark located within the county.

Flow will take place across several key locations in the county, from the Grand Union and Oxford Canals, which connect London to Birmingham and Oxford to Coventry respectively, to the gentle River Nene, now celebrating its 250th year of being navigable.

For more information on current and forthcoming FLOW events and installations visit www.flow-northamptonshire.com

Posted by Anna Lewis on September 13, 2011 8:02 AM

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