Artist explores human connection with water

An upcoming art exhibition in Brighton, UK, examines our cultural and physical relationship to water.

Silt is a new body of work by Russian-born artist Nika Neelova and the title references the process by which materials suspended in water are deposited over time in pipes and at river mouths and estuaries. Silt is mineral rich and is fundamental to shaping changing tidal landscapes and renewing fertility. It is also unstable, thick and can inhibit free-flowing waterways.

Neelova has been working in collaboration with Brighton CCA and academics at the Centre for Aquatic Environments at the University over the last 12 months, focusing on strategies found in the natural world to adapt to water scarcity. The partners have also explored the infrastructure humans have created throughout their history to manage water supply.

Neelova's interest in the processes of geology and the gradual layering and transformation of materials draws on disciplines from archaeology and ethnography to literature, natural sciences and ecology.

Sculptural installation

On entering the exhibition, visitors will find themselves in a subterranean world of archaeological strata. Fossils are strewn about, while sculptures cast from the interiors of ancient water systems are suspended throughout the space.

At the heart of the exhibition is a large-scale sculptural installation and Neelova adds a further layer as the architecture of the gallery itself is conceived as a kind of body, sustained by the water and air running through its own pipe networks. It is accompanied by studio works, research projects and contributions from artists Carolina Caycedo and Rachael Champion.

Caceydo’s film Land of Friends (2014) details the impact of the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project, Colombia on the indigenous peoples who rely on the river and its tributaries for their physical, social and spiritual wellbeing.

Rachael Champion’s installation continues her explorations into human interactions with geological time and the traces we leave on the landscape. Displayed alongside Neelova’s works, these projects open up a dialogue around the cultural value of our natural resources and their exploitation in the service of society.

Free admission

The exhibition takes place from 22 October 2021 to 8 January 2022 at Brighton CCA, part of the University of Brighton, and admission is free.