Performance Art Marks Timber In Sea Anniversary
A performance artist plans to mark the first anniversary of the Ice Prince sinking which saw thousands of tons of timber washed along the Sussex coast before being driven onto Worthing beach by 'releasing' some timber he found at the time.Dan Thompson collected a dozen small splinters from the huge timber planks, and has kept them frozen in ice since January 2008. On Monday 19th January 2009, the rough chunks of ice with their splinters of pine will be released into the Sussex sea, on the part of Worthing beach where most of the wood was washed up.
The next day, he will walk the beach to see if the splinters have returned to the same spot – or been lost in the sea off the Sussex coast.
Dan is perhaps best known as a founder of the Revolutionary Arts Group, and for running the annual Artists and Makers Festival. He first rose to prominence with a series of performance art pieces. These included trading a series of thumbprints with other artists, before scarring his thumb so the print could not be repeated, and a weekend exploring the colour pink on a Shoreham houseboat, which saw him and fellow artist Karin Paish on national television. A ritual 'Walk In A Straight Line' in Worthing – carried out while performance artist Harry Palmer walked the same distance at the same time in Hull – saw Dan grab the front page in the local press.
Dan has been involved in producing a programme of events to mark the anniversary of the Ice Prince timber. Other events he has organised include an exhibition by the Revolutionary Arts Group at the flashBANG gallery in Warwick Street, Worthing, and a poetry performance at Worthing Library. He has also designed limited edition badges which will available from shops and cafes, and a day-long music workshop.
In 'the 'Sound of Timber' workshop on Saturday 24th January, national music charity CoMA will lead amateur musicians as they spend just five hours composing a piece of music inspired by the sinking. At the end of the workshop, the piece will receive a world premiere at St Matthew's Church, Tarring Road Worthing.
Worthing Arts Council's Ice Prince Arts Festival runs from 19th-25th January, with events taking place across Worthing. The festival is funded by Worthing Borough Council.
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