Dowr Tamar / Great Water.
Ongoing project. 

Originating at Wooley Moor, The Tamar river spans over 60 miles, eventually reaching Plymouth Sound and the English channel. Rooted in local heritage and environmentalism, I will be travelling the Tamar’s entirety, capturing humanities attempts of adaptation to it; specifically the 22 bridges that cross it. The material gathered will be collated to form an experimental moving image work and exhibition. 

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Starting as humble footbridges hidden amongst greenery, the widening river soon features

concrete constructions capable of carrying vehicles. From here the bridges become metal.

Humanities influence continues to become more apparent, with mills, dams and viaducts

frequenting it’s length, small settlements make way for hamlets, hamlets become villages,

villages become towns etc. Eventually reaching the industrial revolution’s Royal Albert bridge

and 20th century’s subsequent Tamar bridge, the river opens up to the mass of water

beyond. On a macro level I believe parallels can be drawn from this visual display of

England’s progressive handling of its environment, to that of mankind’s collective direction,

exploiting the landscape according to our ever demanding needs, and like the uncertainty of

the ocean beyond so too is uncertain our collective being here on out.

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This is an ongoing project made possible by the support of

Arts Council England

FEAST Cornwall

Cornwall Heritage Fund &

Gray's Wharf gallery.

The work is scheduled to be exhibited in September 2022.

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For updates on the work feel free to follow me on my Instagram where i shall be posting updates

on the project as it progresses.

www.instagram.com/samuel_mbestwick/

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