And may there be no sadness of farewell
Kirwan, Helen and Pruciak, Simon (2014) And may there be no sadness of farewell. [Exhibition/show, Video]
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This video, filmed between Folkestone and Sandgate is inspired both by the concept lookout– which in this context is taken to mean the view towards the sea and the infinite horizon- and Tennyson's poem Crossing the Bar in which he contemplates his own transition from life to death in terms of putting out to sea.
At first it seems to comprise only one static image showing the elements earth, sea and sky in three layers. However, slowly, and almost imperceptibly, these begin to 'move' across the screen, shifting and evolving as if in a process of transition.
Whilst firmly of this world, these images imply the infinite and universal. Tennyson hopes for a smooth crossing as he commences his voyage. Homer sometimes refers to the sea as apeiron- boundless, beyond the imagination or concept of 'man'. Perhaps as Heraclitus suggests, ultimate reality is infinite, not subject to death or decay but rather to that which continuously generates resources anew and from which everything we can perceive is derived. Hence there need be 'no sadness of farewell'.
The division of the frame into the thirds; earth, sea, sky; each section equally relevant and irrelevant creates symmetry evoking the tranquility which Tennyson hopes for during his voyage, untroubled by 'moaning' i.e. turbulence over the (sand) bar.
The video encourages the viewer to linger and reflect on mortality, to encounter the potential for interpretation and even transformation through his/her own experiences and perceptions.
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