Absolutely Cultured respond to need, create opportunity and space for amazing cultural experiences to happen, for everyone. They work to advance cultural opportunities for the city of Hull, its residents and for creative practitioners that otherwise wouldn’t exist, to enhance Hull’s cultural offer and increase the relevance and value of the arts in peoples’ lives.
FloodLights was their newly-commissioned public project featuring captivating projections and soundscapes – brand new for Hull in Autumn 2021. The city of Hull, and the lives of its inhabitants, has been shaped by its proximity and relationship to water. Working in partnership with Living With Water, Yorkshire Water and the University of Hull, these issues were explored through projection and light installations. Over 22-24 October, 6:30-9:30pm, they brought the city centre to life with moving animations, light installations and atmospheric music.
The inspiration for Overflow began with the unique architectural design of the Trinity House Academy. Always exploring alternative and interesting buildings on which to use as the basis for his Architectural projection artworks, digital artist Barret Hodgson (Vent Media) was inspired by the connected rectangular white minimal façades of the building that could create a huge three dimensional canvas perfect for the project.
However, the unique and rich history of the Trinity House Academy as a nautical school, it’s traditions and cultural significance within Hull’s relationship with water and the oceans, soon became central to Hodgson’s formulation and structure of the piece. Hodgson visited the school over a number of days to meet the students and teachers asking what water and, more significantly, the seas has meant to both the school and the students in the past, what it means to them now and also in the future.
Together with electronic musician and sound artist Leigh Toro, Barret Hodgson takes us through a journey of the deep, via bioluminescent lifeforms, lost treasure, and the ringing of schools famous ships bell to emerge in a cacophony of sound and aqueous colour based on those conversations with the students of Trinity House Academy.
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Ben C, Curtis T, Riley D, Callum S, Rylee M, Alex M, Marshall K, Kafar A, Richard R, and Oliver Y worked incredibly hard when taking part in a two day workshop with a local artist. The students looked at different ways light could be used in art and created their own projects based on water and maritime. Their finished work was added to the final Floodlights show and their names were projected on the school for the people of Hull to see.
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