Chris A. Wright

Lode, an ongoing project, develops the 2022 self-directed residency, Watery Ways/Bleak Place. Travelling by narrowboat in a giant loop going south from the River Soar to the River Thames then following it north up to the Oxford Canal and home, I let my curiosity run free. I wanted to understand all facets of water from rivers to puddles as well as exploring the hinterland from an artist’s perspective. Bleak Place arose from current world affairs such as the invasion of Ukraine which weighed heavily and could not be ignored.

In the residency and exhibition at Broadway Gallery, Nottingham in 2023, I brought all the elements of that journey together linking the science of water pollution and global water issues to the natural history of the riverbanks. The diverse elements include drawing, sound, film and photography which, together, created a journey map. 

During this project that was supported by Near Now, Broadway, the aim was to develop the work further. The hot summer meant that the original water samples had evaporated and so samples were collected from around Nottingham itself. These were tested for their pH, nitrite, nitrate etc.as well as for bacteria.

Borrowing a microscope, the samples were photographed with a mobile phone. This indicated the liveness of the bacteria which was often accompanied by a faecal smell.

The next stage. Now is the time to evaluate the progress so far and accompanied by deeper research.