Waterscape: Online Exhibition
19th - 22nd March 2020
COVID-19 closed down our Waterscape exhibition, so a journey took place instead!
On 18th March 2020 the exhibition Waterscape closed 4 days early due to the COVID-19 virus. Marco Dessardo, Nicola Gear and Cornelia Konrads headed into the remote West coast of the Highlands with Basiluzzo, Dessardo's sculpture boat.
Dessardo and Konrads had already tested Basiluzzo on Loch Ness, the largest fresh water loch in Scotland. Much to Dessardo's surprise, he did not sink, capsize or meet the Loch Ness Monster. This local journey from Inverness was planned to be paired with another adventure on either the Moray Firth or the River Ness. However, as the exhibition closed down, freedom to roam further afield was possible. Social distancing was being talked about generally, so a more remote water journey was decided apon.
Thursday 19th March
Dessardo's sculpture-boat Basiluzzo was dismounted from the exhibition, piled on top of the safety boat, strapped down and taken West to Diabaig Bay near Torridon. The weather was kind, after a winter of gales, rain and snow. Late afternoon Dessardo was able to sail Basiluzzo out on the water near Diabaig Bay.
Friday 20th March
Test sail for Basiluzzo in the Scottish sea on the West coast. Gentle weather conditions. She didn't sink!
Gear set out in a canoe following Basilzzo and also moved around the edge of the bay recording sound from the water and the landscape, as well as recording Dessardo recounting each adventure. Cornelia Konrads filmed each day, documenting the journeys and providing a visual framework from which Dessardo will create a film for each location.
Listen to today's collaborative sound piece here:
Saturday 21st March
On Saturday night at dusk they sailed Basiluzzo on a tiny un-named lochan (locally known as Lily Lochan) on the Diabaig to Alligin Shuas road, choosing to restrict the distance travelled to water by finding beautiful spots nearby in the Torridon area!
Sunday 22nd March
Gear and Dessardo then combined the sound and moving image into a collaborative record of the place and the time. Loch Ness was the obvious tourist destination, Diabaig Bay - an open sea loch with an Atlantic swell, and finally as UK lockdown seemed imminent the Lily Lochan was remote and confined, a small pool of light in the open moorland.
Instead of our planned closing event with the artists today, Gear and Dessardo bring you a short film from Diabaig Bay:
Waterscape - Final Work
Over the lockdown period Dessardo and Gear finished this collaborative video of the Loch Ness performance/ journey, which is due to be shown in Belgium later this year.