Fabrica

April/May 2012

Fabrica is delighted to announce the recipients of the ‘Voices of the Sea’ commissions, which will result in two major new pieces of work by British contemporary artists to be shown in Brighton in April/May 2012. They are the result of an exciting and unique commissioning partnership between Brighton’s leading arts organizations, Fabrica, Lighthouse, Blast Theory, Photoworks, Brighton Festival and Brighton University, Faculty of Arts. The Voices of the Sea commission is part of Relay, a programme of new visual arts and live events taking place across the south east of England in response to London 2012. Relay is an initiative of Turning Point South East, a network of visual arts organisations across the region

The two pieces of work will debut during Brighton Festival, the largest arts festival in England and have been commissioned as companion pieces to the The Boat Project, by Lone Twin, which is the South East’s Artists Taking the Lead project and a key component of the Cultural Olympiad. The boat, crafted from donations of wooden objects by the public, will make its maiden voyage to Brighton and its arrival will be a central part of Brighton Festival. It will spend 19-27 May in the city.

The first commission, to be exhibited at Fabrica, is awarded to The Otolith Group (Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun), who have emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in British contemporary art. The Turner Prize-nominated artists have exhibited at Tate Britain, Nottingham Contemporary, and the Hayward Gallery. Their work for Voices of the Sea will be the second part of a projected trilogy exploring the relationship between finance capitalism and the Atlantic slave trade.

The second commission has been awarded to rising stars in interactive media, Invisible Flock (Ben Eaton, Victoria Pratt and Richard Warburton) who create outdoor experiences that blend visual art, gaming and theatre, encouraging participants to become co-creators in their work. They have made work for The National Theatre, the ICA, the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield and Latitude Festival. For this commission Invisible Flock will produce an interactive outdoor journey linking Fabrica and Brighton Marina.