Development of Once a Sea

Heinrich & Palmer have developed the work over the last year drawing on conversations with local residents and research into archival imagery assisted by the parish community and Portsmouth History Centre.

In the summer the artists posted a call out for the local community to share their photos and memories of the church to better understand how the church is used and what it means to the community.

Many thanks to Rosie Francis, verger at St Mary’s Church, Nikki Coles and Derek and Jean Swetnam for sharing their knowledge, personal memories and photographs of St Mary’s Church.

Quarter plate negatives from St Mary’s Church, Portsea archive which the artists used for parts of the Once a Sea film.

Images from St Mary’s Church, Portsea archival collection

Images of St Mary’s Church from the Nikki Coles photo collection. Photo credit Nikki Coles.

Images of St Mary’s Church from the Jean & Derick Swetnam photo collection. Photo credit Jean & Derick Swetnam

The development of ‘Once a Sea’ soundscape

The soundscape specially composed for this work draws on the sounds of stone and field recordings of the sea, the local area and St Mary’s Church’s including the recently restored J.W. Walker & Sons pipe organ and the ring of eight bells. Many thanks to Brian Moles, Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s, Portsea for allowing the artists to record and use improvised samples of his organ music and to St Mary’s, Portsea bell ringers for permitting the recording and use of samples of their bell ringing.

Organist, Brian Moles playing the J.W. Walker & Sons pipe organ of St Mary’s Church, Portsea

Technical support and imaging services

The University of Portsmouth has provided technical support for elements of the artwork production enabling the artists to work with a range of different imaging techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 3D LiDAR scanning.

Heinrich & Palmer worked with staff from the School of the Environment & Life Sciences who provided access and support to allow the artists to use their Tescan Mira 3 FEG-SEM to image local chalk and flint sampled from Portsdown Hill.

The chalk and flint cliff of Portsdown Hill and samples of local chalk, flint and fossils

CW from top left: SEM Image of chalk sample and the names of the various coccoliths; preparation of samples; The Tescan MIra 3 FEG-SEM; prepared sample of chalk; the artists using the SEM; local chalk fossil from the University of Portsmouth collection.

Mentoring

Alongside this work the artists have also been mentoring a group of students from the University of Portsmouth’s MA Interior Architecture & Design course. Ismail El Zahed, Ayushi Patel, and Kyawt Hmu May are working together supported by the University of Portsmouth and Senior Lecturer Belinda Mitchell to create their own light installation ‘Voices from The Depths’ for the We Shine event inspired by the ‘Once a Sea’ theme.

‘Voices from the Depths’ Visualisation of installation by Ismail El Zahed, Ayushi Patel, and Kyawt Hmu May.

Credits

Samples of organ music: Brain Moles, Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s, Portsea

Archival imagery: St Mary’s Church, Portsea.

3D Laser scan: With thanks to CCIXR, the Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of Portsmouth and their Senior Technician, Clifford Phillips, for providing the artists with a 3D laser scan of St Mary’s Church.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): Thanks to Senior Lecturers Dr. Mark Hardiman, Dr. Mariem Saavedra-Pellitero and Technical Specialist, Josepth Dunlop at the School of the Environment & Life Sciences for facilitating and providing technical support to the artists to use the school’s Tescan Mira 3 FEG-SEM to image local chalk and flint samples.

AV Technical set up: White Light and lighting technician Nick Humphrey.

The project has been commissioned by St Mary’s Church, Portsmouth and Fratton Together with support from Arts Council England, Portsmouth Creates and the University of Portsmouth.

Once a Sea