We account the whale immortal
The whale forever exists, like Utopia, as a parable, a myth, and a nightmare – caught between the wide open ocean and our two-dimensional confinement, between reality and imagination.
We account the whale immortal, an ever-changing film installation, explored the arrival of three mythic whales in the Thames, from the 17th to the 21st century, as evocative emblems of Utopian intent.
A unique performance with live film editing expanding on the installation took place on July 14th.
Team
Jessica Sarah Rinland is an artist-filmmaker whose work was shown internationally, winning numerous awards. Natural history, science and the use of celluloid are recurring themes.
Edward Sugden is a lecturer in American Literature at King’s College London, working on time, space, and utopia in the Americas.
Philip Hoare is a writer, broadcaster and curator. His book Leviathan or, The Whale won the 2009 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction.
Additional Credits:
Sound Creation - Philip Ciompi
Voiceover - Helen Mort, Richard Sabin, Peter Blegvad
Technologist - Rob Prouse
Mariano Sironi, Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas/Ocean Alliance (Right Whale, 2015)
Martin Rosenbaum (Thames Whale, 2006)
Stephen Grimes (Art from John Huston’s Moby-Dick, 1956)
Thanks to:
The Elephant Trust; Natural History Museum; The Royal Society; Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons; Burton Constable; The Creative Seed Fund, Department of English, King’s College London; Kingston University; British Pathé; Andrew Sutton; Jeroen Hoekendijk; Chris Watson; Analia and Sergio; Rob Deaville; Oona and Teresa Grimes