FLS10: FALSE LIGHTS SEAHAM
2014
A sculpture, light and sound commission inspired by the marine heritage of the North East.
Inspired by the marine heritage of the North East region and specifically responding to the 1962 George Elmy lifeboat disaster, FL10S: False Lights, Seaham combined sculpture, light and sound. The work was available for the public to visit in a local church for two weeks before being transported down to the coast where a specially written piece of music was played on the instrument, accompanied by a local brass band. The performance itself marked the time that the George Elmy sank 52 years previously.
The work was produced by North East based artist, Ed Carter, who creates physical projects and new musical compositions. Ed worked closely with the local heritage society, who had managed to track down the original George Elmy lifeboat and had it returned and restored to its former glory in Seaham.
“The uniqueness of the piece of art and also meeting the creator Ed. I enjoyed meeting and talking with the visitors. It was great to think that this happened in Seaham and it linked in with the town’s heritage.”
FL10: False Lights Seaham The name is taken from the description of Seaham’s lighthouse character in the Admiralty List of Lights, which flashes once every ten seconds.
The structure incorporated 10 large-scale tuned steel plates controlled by electromagnets which cause the bell plates to vibrate at their resonant frequencies. The oak frame was formed from a series of rotating crosses, representing the imposing coal staithes that lined the Seaham shoreline, and the motion of the lifeboat as it capsized. A sense of motion was created as lights arc around the skeletal, timber form and shadows were cast and re-cast throughout the space.
The instrument plays a new composition written in response to the narrative of the George Elmy disaster. Structural elements of the piece were drawn from the rhythm of the lighthouse lamp, and from numeric patterns and key incidents mentioned in witness statements taken at the time.
The expanded version for live performance was premiered alongside members of Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band at an outdoor performance in Seaham Marina, marking the anniversary of the George Elmy disaster.
The piece continues the previous themes of The False Lights of Durham, and imagines the Seaham lighthouse as a metronome, the landmark innocently marking time as events gradually unfolded around it.
Project partners:
— Artist, Ed Carter
— FL10 was commissioned by No More Nowt
— Produced by Forma
— The project was supported by Durham County Council via East Durham Area Action Partnership and funded by Arts Council England
