Murmurations promises spectacular Brighton outdoor festive art commission

Murmurations offers a new outdoor commission this festive season on the exterior of Fabrica, Brighton's Centre for Contemporary Art
MurmurationsMurmurations
Murmurations

It can be viewed from December 22-January 31 – a specially commissioned, moving image artwork on the Ship Street-facing aspect of the building.

Spokeswoman Nicola Jeffs said: “This Neo-Gothic, Grade II listed facade has an imposing street presence which Fabrica has not previously utilised in its commission programme.

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“As winter 2020-21 heralds Fabrica’s 25th anniversary, the gallery sees this as an exciting new opportunity to commission a fun, engaging and highly visible artwork for thousands of shoppers and passers-by in the bustling area of Brighton’s South Lanes, during its busiest period of the year.

“Brighton-based artist collective Shared Space & Light have been selected to produce the artwork, which will be a three-minute, animated video projected through the large windows of the east façade.

“Shared Space and Light (Giles Thacker, Kate Laird and Chris Grottick), Murmurations reminds us of the wonder and beauty in our immediate environment.

“The intention is to provide a spectacular visual event and an unforgettable collective experience for thousands of viewers during the festive period.”

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Giles Thacker has been filming starling murmurations for more than ten years: “Like many others, I've been mesmerised by the flocking patterns of the starlings. And I love the fact that we have these awe-inspiring displays right in the heart of our urban environments - the murmurations briefly reconnect us to the natural world and are a powerful reminder of the sheer beauty and wonder of our natural heritage.

“I've always wanted to try and visualise the invisible forces at work in the murmurations, to explore the fluid dynamics graphically. The hundreds of gridded panes in these windows suggested a digital approach, so for this installation I've used the organic forms and fluid motion of the murmurations to inform and combine with their digital equivalents.”

The projection will be visible from the outside of the building on Ship Street, from December 22 to January 31 between from 5pm and dawn.

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