Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth
29 March 2002 – 30 March 2003
Reviewed by: Rosemary Shirley
Muf architecture/art once again demonstrate their commitment to developing the potential pleasures of public space in Seducer, a new light installation sited at the end of Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth. Given the area's history as a place of rest and renewal it is fitting that muf have chosen to revitalise this fragile structure. Illuminations are always seductive – even the ordinary seaside ones. Muf's contribution to the genre creates a time lapse, a glimmer of the pier pavilion's glamorous former life of roller skating and dancing. Blue and green projections drift and spin like reflections from a disco mirror ball and silvery white moths flutter over the building's apex. Watching the spectacle from the deserted seafront late at night gives the impression of viewing something secret, perhaps witnessing the condemned pavilion's swansong.
Muf's involvement with the residents and visitors of Boscombe has been central to the project. Work with local schools resulted in sparkling moth flick books and pupils seeing their voices transformed into light waves. During their stay in Boscombe muf also worked with the transient population of holiday makers, converting their en-suite shower into a darkroom and encouraging fellow hotel guests to experiment with light, resulting in a series of photograms. The images generated in these creative sessions became the source material for Seducer and have been exhibited at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth. This exhibition entitled 'Travelling Light' increases the status of the community's contribution and gives a context to the pier installation.
The effects of public artworks on communities like Boscombe are cumulative and outcomes such as pride, ownership and a sense of identity are difficult to quantify, but requests from residents for street lighting on the pier to be turned off so that the projections are more effective can definitely be seen as encouraging.
Writer detail:
ROSEMARY SHIRLEY
is an artist based in Winchester.
Venue detail:
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