Bright Sparks

“Environmental and health agendas, plus an increasing urban demand to experience the tranquillity of the countryside mean that new uses and access to these environments need to be considered. Could disused tidal pools now become points of immersion for people in a marine ecosystem? The world’s first outdoor aquarium? Part research centre/part swimming pool? Spectacle and participation? Playing in the shallows and looking into the deep… by bringing together the social dynamics of sport and conviviality of leisure, a greater understanding of our environmental impact on coastal environments could be developed.”

As a public art commissioner and consultant, Alex’s research process will also address the question of how public realm projects engage with complex political and social issues, and how public art practices are increasingly expected to address and move some way toward solving social, environmental and political issues.

Alex Murdin is an artist and curator who has developed numerous projects in the public realm, in both urban and rural contexts. He is currently developing a PhD at Dartington College of Arts on “Art in public and the politics of rural leisure: access, environment, inclusion” and his past work includes acting as a public art advisor to several commissioners and developers, and initiating his own commissions in a variety of contexts.