A Gothic Futurist look at what it means to be alive today.
The River Project is a collaborative research project situated on the outer edges of Sheffield, where a derelict Victorian Cemetery meets the River Don. Together with award-winning artist & filmmaker Eelyn Lee, students from Sheffield College will embark on an exploration of the past and present to speculate on possible narratives for the future.
Together, the team will research and map the local topography; the histories, myths & ecosystem of the River Don; the stories around Wardsend Cemetery and observe how people and wildlife inhabit the area.
As a development of Eelyn’s ongoing body of work inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the team will compare perceptions of life and death 200 years ago with our understanding of the body today. Referencing Gothic tropes, the team will devise a short fiction film, transposing stories of the past in to a re-imagining of a better future.
The research will be re-presented in an exhibition at Site Gallery from 22nd – 29th November and to mark the Bicentenary of the publication of Frankenstein, the film will be presented at an outdoor screening in Wardsend Cemetery. Further details to be announced.
Commissioned by Don Catchment River Trust and Site Gallery.
Delivered in partnership with Sheffield College and Wardsend Cemetery.
Image: Still from Creature of the Estuary by Eelyn Lee © Eelyn Lee 2016
