HeHe – Is there a horizon in the deep water
HeHe – Is there a horizon in the deep water
“When we visited the site of the Lido, we immediately felt that this is a perfect site for the recreation of the Deep Water Horizon catastrophe, not only because of the ‘Deep Water’ signage on the pool edge, but for its magical, mysterious setting.”
– HeHe
‘Is there a horizon in the deep water’ is a performance recreated in miniature, of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster that took place on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig, which exploded and sank, causing the largest offshore oil spill in US history.
This performance highlighted our ever dangerous need to exploit and burn oil and the consequences for our environment and health. The artwork was devised whilst Hehe were artists in residence with Professor Peter Brimblecombe, who at the time worked as an Atmospheric Chemist at the University of East Anglia. Deep Water Horizon caused the largest ever recorded marine oil spill causing immense damage to ocean and coastal wildlife habitats.
Commissioned by Invisible Dust and as part of ‘Invisible Breath’, the performance was awarded an honorary mention at Ars Electronica Festival 2011, Austria in the Hybrid Art prize category, one of the most important awards in the field of digital media and was shown at the festival in 2011.
Read more about the project in this Guardian article.
Image: © HeHe, Is there a Horizon in the Deep Water?, Cambridge Science Festival, March 2011. Photo by Neil Smallbone.