Light projections onto Morecambe Promenade 2001
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My pursuit of plankton started in 2001 with a commission for 14 light projections onto the surface of Morecambe Promenade, as part of the TERN public art project in Lancashire, north-west England. The lighting system was similar to a microscope. It projected light to produce a circular image with a high degree of magnification. The image was on a stencil or gobo. I produced a series of line drawings of the plankton which live in the sea next to the promenade, but which are not normally visible to humans. These organisms are the primary food source for the thousands of sea birds which can be easily seen in Morecambe Bay, the largest intertidal area in the UK. I entitled the resulting display ‘Microscopes on Morecambe Bay’.
I conducted research on plankton with support from several biologists, and I collected samples from Morecambe Bay. Collection was made with a conical plankton net, made from recycled screen-printing nylon mesh. Sample collection was made from a kayak at various locations, on foot from several beaches, and most regularly from the end of the Stone Jetty, in front of the splendid art-deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe. The samples were examined with a light microscope.
Next: “Morecambe Bay Plankton”
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JOHN ANGUS 