The Atlantic Project: After The Future (guide)

Abstract

The Atlantic Project was a pilot for a new international festival of contemporary art in the South West of England, initiated and curated by Tom Trevor, which took place in autumn 2018, featuring site-specific installations across the city of Plymouth. Commissioned artists included Nilbar Güreş (Turkey), Tommy Støckel (Denmark), Liu Chuang (China), Yan Wang Preston (UK), Hito Steyerl (Germany), Vermeir & Heiremans (Belgium), Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola), Donald Rodney (UK), Postcommodity (USA), Ryoji Ikeda (Japan), Carl Slater (UK), SUPERFLEX (Denmark), Uriel Orlow (Switzerland), Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll (Australia), Chang Jia (South Korea), Jane Grant & John Matthias (UK), Ursula Biemann (Switzerland), Bryony Gillard (UK) and Kranemann + Emmett (Germany/UK). Taking place in public contexts and outdoor locations across the city, 20 artists and artists’ collectives from 12 different countries presented 60 artworks in all as part of the curated programme, including 20 new site-specific commissions. In addition, 24 performances, lectures and special events were presented in 9 different unconventional locations, along with an open platform for artist-led initiatives which hosted 20 further DIY projects. Drawing upon Plymouth’s maritime history, as the largest naval base in Western Europe, and subsequent post-war austerity, in order to speculate upon an uncertain future, artworks were located across the city in 15 different ‘non-art’ sites, including iconic locations previously inaccessible to the public for a number of years, thus encouraging exploration of hidden urban contexts and reaching out to audiences who might not usually engage with contemporary art. Over the course of three-and-a-half weeks, The Atlantic Project recorded 17,309 engaged visitor attendances, and a further 68,700 casual encounters in the public realm. The project also received widespread critical acclaim, with multiple features in local press and television, and a number of key features in national publications such as Frieze, Aesthetica, This Is Tomorrow, Cool Hunting, Art Monthly, Manor Magazine and other journals (please see the final activity report for details: https://www.theatlantic.org/uploads/The-Atlantic-Project-Activity-Report.pdf) Initiated and led by Tom Trevor (Artistic Director), The Atlantic Project was developed as a core partnership between The Box (formerly Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery) and the University of Plymouth, in the lead-up to the Mayflower 400 anniversary in 2020. The pilot in 2018 was a central element of Horizon, a two-year visual arts development programme across the city (2016-18), led by Plymouth Culture, with support from Arts Council England’s ‘Ambition for Excellence’ fund and Plymouth City Council.