Brazilian-born artist Rodrigo Lebrun introduces us to the imaginary town of ‘Sunthorpe’ and its popular tourist attractions. His video installation uses an intentional typo, Sunthorpe (Scunthorpe), to express unrealised utopias, current challenges and future aspirations. Lebrun has worked with the North Lincolnshire Museum to explore the challenges faced by the local community whose identity and economic future is still rooted in industry. He asks what is the outlook for ‘Sunthorpe’, vulnerable to pollution, floods and rising sea levels with climate change, industrialisation and globalisation?

First shown at York Mediale in 2018, Lebrun went on to work with Ecologist, Andrew Taylor to develop ‘Green (Screen) Dreams’ which was also presented at North Lincolnshire Museum in 2019.

Lebrun worked with the team at North Lincolnshire Museum to explore the challenges faced by the local community whose identity and economic future is still rooted in industry. He asked what is the outlook for ‘Sunthorpe’, vulnerable to pollution, floods and rising sea levels with climate change, industrialisation and globalisation?

Commissioned by Invisible Dust with the Humber Museums Partnership for York Mediale and North Lincolnshire Museum. ‘Green (Screen) Dreams’ is part of ‘Surroundings’, a 3-year programme of international artists residencies and exhibitions on environmental themes across the Humber Region. It is funded by Arts Council England and the Wellcome Trust.

#Sunthorpe | Link to Q&A in Journal Post below

Header image: Rodrigo Lebrun – Green (Screen) Dreams at York 2018 © Sodium, courtesy of Invisible Dust.