Press Dates:
Lymington Launch:  Thursday 23 May 2013. Time TBC.
Lymington Yacht Haven, King's Saltern Road, Lymington,
Hampshire SO41 3QD

Egg Mission Control at
Exbury Gardens Launch: Thursday 6 June 2013 Time: TBC
Exbury Gardens, Southampton, Hampshire, SO45 1AZ

In spring 2013 visual artist Stephen Turner will start a visual and philosophical journey to develop new art works in, on and around The Exbury Egg, an architect designed space located on the Beaulieu River. Stephen will spend twelve months locating a range of artistic interventions creatively responding to the special nature of this unique location, its history and its fragile ecology.

Construction of the highly sustainable Exbury Egg has now begun and offers Stephen a further opportunity to develop his highly regarded site specific artistic practice, building upon the Seafort Project (2004 - 06) and more recently his residency as Bridge guard on the Danube for Residential Art/Science Centre, Štúrovo, Slovakia (2011-12). Stephen Turner’s practice challenges disciplinary boundaries and involves sampling, collecting, annotating, editing and merging of environmental data with other more subjective information about the distinctiveness and particularity of different places.

The project tests the concept of creating a high quality, low environmental impact studio/laboratory to enable the artist to engage with a highly sensitive environmental area in the Beaulieu Estuary, but which would leave no trace after it has gone.
Stephen says “This is a necessary intervention in the landscape at a key moment when climate change is already creating new shorelines and habitats. Established salt marsh is being eroded by a combination of rising sea levels and falling landmass and the entire littoral environment is in a state of flux. The implications for wildlife and flora as well as people are challenging and raise awareness of a particularly 21st c entury sort of tension and anxiety in our society where place is much talked about - yet where people are increasingly out of place and out of step with nature.”

The Exbury Egg will be located in the mediaeval harbour on the Beaulieu Estuary, owned by Nicholas De Rothschild, and is a floating studio and laboratory for the artist.  Working in this remote location, Stephen will investigate the site, closely interacting with the environment, engaging with natural processes and cycles to directly create sequences of work during a year long sojourn, where he sees the Egg itself as a sculptural element in a time based happening that will subtly foreground the disconnection of people from the rest of nature.

With limited access for visitors, these themes will be made explicit through web cams, online blog and a cabled link from three HD cameras on site to an operation centre which will be open to the public at the Exbury Estate.

The Exbury Egg design was created by Perring Architect & Design working with Stephen Turner; it was inspired by the nesting seabirds on the shore and is being built to exacting environmental standards by local boat builder, Paul Baker. Six metres long and nearly three metres wide, the structure’s shell will be made as much as possible from locally sourced timber. It has a folding timber ‘keel like’ cradle that will rest gently upon the riverbed when the Exbury Egg is stationary.  

“This is a major project” says Stephen “and I’m convinced the Estuary is going to provide massive inspiration for ideas exploring our evolving relationship with nature.”

The Exbury Egg project is led by art, architecture and education consultants, Space Placemaking and Urban Design (SPUD).

Project Manager Phil Smith, adds: “The whole exercise from originating the ideas, developing the design, seeing the Egg built and then the year-long creative investigation is going to be an intrigu ing and engaging project with significant art and educational impact as well as providing the potential for legacy way beyond the 12 months of the Egg’s tenure at Exbury.”

SPUD will also be delivering a range of education and audience development programmes around the project.

Visit www.exburyegg.org for information and updates.

ENDS
___________________________________________________________________

Media Contact: In the first instance please contact:
Ruth De Mierre
Telephone:  +44 (0)1444 453399
Mobile:  +44 (0)7870 267344
Email:  ruth@i-dmc.co.uk

___________________________________________________________________
 

For further information about Stephen Turner and artist’s images, please contact:
Mark Segal 
Telephone:  +44 (0)1420 84310
Mobile: +44 (0)7976 267978
Email:  mark@theartistsagency.co.uk
or visit  www.theartistsagency.co.uk

___________________________________________________________________

Phil Smith: +44 (0)7940 236806
Mark Drury: +44 (0)7881 950196)
SPUD
C/o Learning through Landscape
The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UL
www.spudgroup.org.uk
___________________________________________________________________

The Exbury Egg project is financially supported by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Hampshire County Council and the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The project is also made possible by the generous support of The Exbury Estate, Bradley Engineering, Anesco Ltd., Versadock, Marineware, Totton Timber.and HA&DB Kitchen.
___________________________________________________________________

Notes:
Stephen Turner’s practice is concerned with aspects of time and the dialectics of transience and permanence. His work often involves spending long periods in odd abandoned places, noting the changes in the complex relationship between people and the natural environment. His projects are rooted in research, which explore these themes in a variety of media. His work includes installations for Turner Contemporary in Margate, Trinity Buoy Wharf in London, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland and Fermynwoods Contemporary Art in Northamptonshire. He was a part of the Third World Water Conference in Kyoto, Japan in 2003 when he exhibited at the Honen-in Temple and later at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Toyota. ‘Tree Rings’ for Stour Valley Arts studied the ecologies of different species of tree during a twelve-month residence at Kingswood Kent in 2004. His work for Seafort will be reprised in the group exhibition ‘Estuary’ at the Museum of London Docklands, from May to October 2013. Stephen Turner is represented by The Artists Agency (www.theartistsagency.co.uk).

SPUD (Space, Place-making and Urban Design) is an organisation led by Mark Drury and Phil Smith and emerged out of the Solent Centre for Architecture + Design. SPUD associates continue much of the excellent legacy work developed out of the Solent Centre, whilst developing new projects and extending their skills into new areas of work.  Mark and Phil are building on the sound reputation they had established for their work at the Solent Centre. www.spudgroup.org.uk

Perring Architecture and Design (PAD) is a young Hampshire practice established in 2003. The founding partners share 6 years previous architectural experience working for high profile award winning design practices in L ondon. Our background lies primarily in the Arts, Domestic, Education and Commercial fields and we provide full architecture, masterplanning and interior design services for both the public and private sectors. www.padstudio.co.uk

Paul Baker: Paul's role is to make the drawing concepts into a reality that will enable Stephen to fulfill another artistic dream. With such a complex shape to build material selection and build method have to be carefully considered especially as the overall finish is an important factor in the Egg creation. Paul has been in the marine industry since the age of 13 when he learnt to sail and the following year became a dingy instructor for the Army Sailing Association.?His understanding of materials and his sometimes unorthodox thinking has led to many innovative ideas but always under-pinned by a sound respect for the sea and the  environment.

Bradley Engineering provide the widest range of high quality remote camera heads for the film and television industry who make systems which are compact, integrated, straightforward and easy to rig, with a dynamic customer focused design philosophy. www.bradeng.com

The Exbury Egg will have wet and dry areas which will include work space, a large chart/drawing table, a small galley, and a toilet. Lighting will be from low energy LED fittings and all electrical items will be charged from portable photovoltaic panels. A log will be kept of all the materials used in construction to enable the embodied energy to be calculated.