© Invisible Flock
The shifting sands and tides of Morecambe Bay may seem like a potentially hazardous choice for an interactive public art project, but a new venture incorporating digital art, installation, a book and some stunning walks is about to head out across the famously treacherous shores – with a little help from an old hand.
Cedric Robinson, the official Queen's Guide to the Sands also known as The Sand Pilot, has helped thousands of visitors cross the bay by foot since his Royal Appointment in 1963.
The role has been a feature of Morecambe Bay since the time of King Henry VIII, and now he is teaming up with interactive arts trio Invisible Flock for an eponymous adventure into art.
Taking Morecambe Bay and its famous cross-bay walk as its starting point, Sand Pilot takes a wider look at why we walk and make the journeys we make.
The project website tells us that we will make enough journeys to circumnavigate the globe, “possibly more possible less”. Invisible Flock have been busily tracking the “digital footsteps” and journeys of 100 people from all walks of life using GPS tracking software in an attempt to tell us something about these journeys.
This data tracking exercise may or may not tell us something new, but this digital trace will offer a characteristically early 21st century take on the artistic and sculptural possibilities of walking across landscapes.
Victoria Pratt, of Invisible Flock, says the project “reminds us to consciously move through life and to imagine what our physical movements say about us individually and collectively.”
For her and her two colleagues, it’s as much about the “stories tied up in the way and places we walk", as it is the data and process.
With that in mind, it is probably fair to say that it’s the chance to engage with the vast and beautiful landscape covered by the walk that grabs the attention here. And Sand Pilot gets a little more tangible during September, when Robinson leads a series of walks across the sands.
Travellers have used them as the most direct route between Lancaster and the Furness Peninsula for centuries. Modern day travellers and artists will do well to follow him carefully, ever mindful of the quick-sands and changing water channels that criss-cross the bay.
More pictures:
Ben Eaton, Cedric Robinson, Victoria Pratt and Richard Warburton. Photo: Ian Hughes© Invisible Flock
Robinson is the official Queen's Guide to the Sands© Invisible Flock
- To book tickets for Sand Pilot visit www.liveatlica.org/sandpilot or call Morecambe Visitor Information Centre on 01524 828808. The project was commissioned by Live at LICA, supported by Arts Council England and Lancashire County Council.
