Instagram Takeover: NEW:DEFENCE

NEW:DEFENCE (@newdefence) are a group of artists, collaborators and curators who are leading a project to exhibit photography, sculpture, installation, film and sound work at Coalhouse Fort, Thurrock, Spring, 2018.

The work will relate to the theme of defence, including the site itself or in response to the fort’s rich archive of objects, documents and photographs, housed in Thurrock Museum, Grays. The exhibition is open to view to the public on 28 April 2018 and is curated by @gemmapadley and initiated by @michael_whelan_photography.

One more hour to get down to #coalhousefort to see the exhibitions we have placed in the tunnels and other locations across the site. Not just lens based practice is included, there is also sculpture, including this one by @samuel.zealey #newdefence #coalhousefort #instagramtakeover

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Apr 28, 2018 at 8:37am PDT

Shadows in the fort from #VictoriaCoster #newdefence #photowork_uk

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Apr 28, 2018 at 7:12am PDT

Of the nine artists whose work will be on show at #Coalhousefort in NEW: DEFENCE, several have responded to the fort and surrounding landscape – one of who is @dafnatalmor. Here she explains her approach: “My site-specific response involved photographing the grounds around the fort from a high (militarised) vantage point, removing any obviously man-made elements [and so] interrupting the so-called purity of the landscape. Re-configuring the landscape by embedding multiple views and obliterating any indication of the military structures that originally occupied this space, the collaged images will be presented as postcards, pointing to the repackaging, repurposing and preservation of this now defunct fort as heritage site and tourist destination.” @newdefence #Coalhousefort #archive #popupexhibition #newdefence #artinessex #artexhibition #constructedlandscapes #landscapephotography #photoworks_uk

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Apr 26, 2018 at 3:29am PDT

Hi, @gemmapadley here, taking over the @photoworks_uk account as part of @newdefence – a pop-up exhibition at Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury on Saturday 28 April 2018. The tumbledown fort has a colourful history: once used as domestic accommodation, it was a location for Batman Begins and featured on the TV programme, Most Haunted. Closed in 1956, it was acquired by Thurrock Council and used for a time by a shoe company as a storage facility. Now, for a brief moment, it will become an art gallery – albeit an unconventional place to experience art. Inspired by the changing character of this strange old fort, we will be showing work by nine artists across the site including @tombrannigan who has created “anthropomorphic photographic sculptures” from objects in the archive. Inspired by the knowledge that families lived for a time at the fort after World War Two, Tom wanted “to make the objects into little guardians of this paradoxical space.” @newdefence #Coalhousefort #archive #popupexhibition #newdefence #artinessex #artexhibition #stilllifephotography #photoworks_uk #instagramtakeover

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Apr 25, 2018 at 10:45pm PDT

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