Public Programme: Alexandre da Cunha, ‘Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset’

Alexandre da Cunha

A public programme presented by Art on the Underground for the opening of the Northern Line Extension and the launch of the new permanent artwork at Battersea Power Station.
August - November 2021

Starting in August 2021 and focussing around the date of the autumn equinox a series of talks, workshops and events will expand on the themes and ideas within da Cunha’s artwork connecting it to site, publics, community and contemporary art practice.

The public programme will be delivered across different formats and registers to be of interest to a range of audiences – artists, art students, arts professionals, local community, schools and young people.

Taking the title Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset, the public programme acts as a conceptual framing for a series of events timed to register the suggested moments of the day.

Local collaborators include, Urban Canopy, who have been creating gardens and engaging communities with horticulture, art and education in the Patmore Estate since 2018. Starting August 2021 a series of workshops will work with local residents to maintain and develop local community garden sites, thinking through cycles of the day, of nature, seasons of planting and how we move through, pay attention and contribute to our outside environments.

A series of workshops will also be programmed for local groups with Photofusion, founded not far from the new stations as a photo coop in 1979. Photofusion have developed a programme of photography workshops connecting to observing and recording moments of the day from sunset photography walks to Solargraphy a process of long exposure photography that captures of the image of the sun moving across the sky. Working with Elays Network’s youth project, Battersea Women’s Network, Fast – Youth Battersea and open access sessions, workshops will centre the camera’s focus on the sky – its movement, cycles and presence.

 

A series of talks with Alexandre da Cunha planned for November 2021 will also offer insight into the process and development of ideas towards the final artwork.