RED RIVER
a moving image work by naomi frears
Naomi’s practice spans a range of formats, materials and subjects, with the Red River project marking her first opportunity to focus the lens of her camera on nature: looking at the range of bodies of water that exist within the river. Reflecting on John’s writings as they have evolved and participating in the series of walks that drew together experts from different fields to explore the length of the river, Naomi’s understanding of the river has continually grown and shifted.
Throughout the work the viewing formats of footage are controlled to reflect the extremities of the ways industry has affected the river, constraining it, changing the shape of it and forcing it to do certain things.
Small sections of John’s poetry, selected in an order that corresponds to the flow from source to mouth, underpin the work. Sounds recorded by Rob Mackay are also interwoven with the visuals. The result is a work that corresponds to the collaborative and cross-disciplinary nature of the project as a whole and that offers a brief insight into the myriad of histories, interpretations of this small waterway that it has begun to excite and unravel.
Naomi Frears is a visual artist based in Porthmeor Studios in St Ives. Her practice includes work with film and video, as well as printmaking, painting, and collaborative curatorial projects. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Government Art Collection.